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Melon Culture 



A Practical Treatise 

on the 

Principles Involved in the Production of Melons, Both 

for Home Use and for Market: Including a 

Chapter on Forcing and One on Insedts 

£uid Diseases and Means of 

Controlling the Same 

By 
JAMES TROOP 

Professor of Horticulture and Entomology 
Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana 



ILLUSTRATED 



NEW YORK 

ORANGE JUDD COMPANY 

19 11 






Copyright, 1911, by 
ORANGE JUDD COMPANY 

All Rights Reserved 



Printed in U. S. A. 



iQ,S^ 



©CI.A20271.5 



PREFACE 

Melon growing has come to be an industry of vast 
proportions in this country, few people having any 
adequate conception of the extent of the industry. 
There is scarcely a state in the Union in which the 
melon does not play a more or less conspicuous 
part in its vegetable productions. Even Canada, 
which is generally considered as being too far north 
for melon growing, produces some surprisingly fine 
melons, especially in the eastern portion, where 
they are grown quite extensively under frames. The 
United States is, however, the principal field for out- 
door melon culture, and it is to this section mostly 
that the following pages are intended to apply. 

The results of the census of 1910 are not yet avail- 
able, but, basing our calculations on the report of 
the Census Bureau of 1900, and making a fair allow- 
ance for increase in acreage and production during 
the last decade, we now have in the United States 
in round numbers 290,000 acres devoted to melon 
growing. This is divided between the muskmelon 
and the watermelon in the proportion of about one 
to three. The yearly production, according to these 
estimates, would be about 175,000,000 muskmelons 
and 225,000,000 watermelons, or more than four 
melons to each person in the United States. We 
see, therefore, that this is no mere market garden 
crop, but that it covers vast areas. Commercially 
speaking, therefore, it may be classed among the 
farm crops of the present day. 



VI PREFACE 

Twent3^-five years ago this industry was confined 
to a few southern states and near the large cities of 
the East. The number of varieties was also lim- 
ited. Peter Henderson in his " Gardening for 
Profit," published in 1891, mentions only six varie- 
ties of muskmelons and ten varieties of watermelons 
in general cultivation ; that number has since in- 
creased many times over. Alethods of cultivation 
and handling the crop have improved wonderfully, 
and while the yield per acre is perhaps no greater 
yet the crop is produced much more easily and with 
less expense than formerly. Insects and diseases 
have become more troublesome, but they are also 
better known, and, with possibly one or two excep- 
tions, are more easily controlled. 

It has been the aim of the writer in the following 
pages to give the latest information concerning the 
needs of this crop, as to soil and climate, and 
directions for planting and cultivation which will ap- 
ply to the small grower for home use as well as to 
the large commercial grower. The principal species 
of insects and diseases are also described and reme- 
dies recommended so far as any are known. A list 
of the more common varieties is also given. 

The illustrations are, for the most part, from 
photographs taken in the melon fields or from in- 
dividual specimens or crates. The greater portion 
of them were taken by my colleagues, J. G. Boyle 
and C. G. Woodbury, .and some of them have been 
used in bulletins published by the Indiana Experi- 
ment Station. Figs. 14 and 21 are from photos 
furnished by D. V. Burrell of Rocky Ford, Colorado. 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER I 

Page 

History and Botany of the Melon . i-8 

Early history of the musk'melon and water- 
melon — Botany of each — Botanical varie- 
ties — Structure and pollination of flowers. 

CHAPTER n 

Conditions Affecting Growth . . 9-13 

Climatic conditions — Soil conditions — Tile 
drainage — The function of root hairs. 

CHAPTER HI 

Soils . , 14-17 

Best soils for muskmelons — Best soils for 
watermelons. 

CHAPTER IV 

The Seed 18-29 

Conditions affecting the vitality of seeds, 
temperature, moisture, age, etc — Testing 
seeds ; methods employed — Selecting 
seeds; its influence on the crop — Seeds 
from immature fruit — Early vs. late ripen- 
ing fruits for seeds — Effect of latitude and 
altitude on early maturity. 

CHAPTER V 

Fertilizers for Melons .... 30-34 
Kind and quantity for different kinds of 
soils. 



Vlll CONTENTS 

CHAPTER VI 

Page 

Starting the Plants .... 35-40 
Planting in the open ground — Time to 
plant — Use plenty of seed — Starting in 
hotbed — Planting in plant boxes or on 
sods — Watering — Temperature — Starting 
in hothouses. 

CHAPTER VH 

Cultural Methods 41-45 

Transplanting — Plants required for an 
acre — Distance apart for the hills ; for 
muskmelons ; for watermelons — Cultiva- 
tion : deep vs. shallow — Navy beans as 
anchors for the vines. 

CHAPTER Vni 

Harvesting and Marketing Melons . 46-60 
Proper stage of ripening for harvesting in 
order to preserve quality — Protecting the 
melons after picking — Packing as it is 
usually done ; as it should be done — Style 
of package used — Shipping in bulk — Mark- 
ing the package with grower's name and 
address — Marketing — Conditions affecting 
the profits — Number of watermelons re- 
quired to fill a car — Extent of the melon 
business. 

CHAPTER IX 

Forcing Melons 61-67 

Some of the necessary requirements foi 
forcing melons — The forcing house — The 
soil for the house: how made — Watering: 
sub vs. surface irrigation — Planting the 



CONTENTS IX 

Page 
seeds — Time for early and late crop — 
Training to strings or wires — Fertilizing 
the blossoms — Market — Varieties — Insects 
' — Diseases. 

CHAPTER X 

Insects and Diseases .... 68-69 

The common forms, with remedies — Mice 
and gophers or ground squirrels — Fungous 
and bacterial diseases of melons — Disease- 
resistant plants. 

CHAPTER XI 

List of Varieties 90-101 

A description of fifty-five varieties of 
muskmelons grown out-of-doors and nine 
foreign varieties — A list of good forcing 
varieties grown in this country — A de- 
scription of forty-six varieties of water- 
melons. 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

Figure _ ^ Page 

A fine field of muskmelons — Frontispiece. 

Muskmelon vine, showing female blos- 
som at a, and male blossom at b. .3 

Section of watermelon field in the Ohio 

valley which yielded $150 per acre. 16 

Seed-testing box filled with corn after the 

melon seeds had germinated . . 21 

A poor Netted Gem, the result of haphaz- 
ard selection of seed melons . . 23 

5. A much better type than Fig. 4 . .24 

6. A bunch of well-grown Rattlesnakes . . 32 

Hotbeds where the melon seeds are started 38 

This is easier than watering by hand . 3Q 

Hauling the plants to the field for trans- 
planting 43 

A thoroughbred Rocky Ford . . -47 

Harvesting cantaloupes and hauling them 

to market . . . . . -49 

A typical packing shed . . . -So 

Some different styles of packages . . 54 

A fine bunch of Burrell Gems ; note the 

uniformity of size, shape and netting 56 

A handy screen for fencing out the striped 

beetle ....... 71 

A field of Tip Tops nearly ruined by the 

bacterial wilt . . . . .80 



10 

TI 

12 

13 
14 

15 



xn LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

Figure Page 

17. A field of melons destroyed by the rust . 84 

18. The rust may be held in check by spray- 

ing with the bordeaux mixture . . 85 

19. A rust-resistant Rocky Ford; note the fine 

netting ....... 87 

20. A well-sprayed melon vine . . . .88 

21. The Rocky Ford is a favorite variety with 

most growers 90 

22. A trio of Tip Tops from the Ohio valley . 91 



CHAPTER I 
HISTORY AND BOTANY OF THE MELON 

Both the muskmelon and the watermelon are 
natives of tropical countries, where the muskmelan, 
in particular, has been cultivated from the earliest 
period of which we have any record. The musk- 
melon is a native of southern Asia, where it was 
known to and cultivated by the Israelites before the 
time of Moses. During their travels through the 
wilderness, where they were fed by the manna from 
heaven, they became impatient and said to Moses, 
" We remember the fish, which we did eat freely, 
the cucumbers, and the melons." And Isaiah, in 
speaking of the desolation of Judah, says, " The 
daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in the vineyard, 
as a lodge in the garden of cucumbers." 

It would seem from the foregoing that the cucum- 
ber and the melon were cultivated together then 
as now. Some writers,' however, think that the 
cucumbers mentioned were really melons, although 
both are mentioned. . It is very probable that in 
those early times the names were used interchange- 
ably, inasmuch as the two are so closely related. 
From Asia the muskmelon was introduced into 
Europe at about the beginning of the Christian era. 
At about the same time the watermelon was brought 
into Europe from the southern or central portion of 
Africa, its native habitat, from whence it has kept 
pace with the muskmelon in its journeys into all 
of the tropical and semitropical countries of the civ- 
ilized world. 



2 MELON CULTURE 

Melons have been grown in the United States 
from its early history, but until comparatively recent 
times their culture was confined to the eastern and 
southeastern states along the southern coast. In 
some of the writings of the early part of the 'last 
century mention is made^ of a number of varieties 
having been, shown at the exhibition of the Massa- 
chusetts Horticultural Society; and in 1851 the 
same author speaks of the Christiana melon as hav- 
ing been raised by Captain Josiah Lovett from a 
green Malta melon impregnated with a very early 
variety, and it was believed that it had not been 
equaled. In order to show their appreciation of its 
merits, the society awarded Captain Lovett a piece 
of plate of the value of $50. A little later, melons 
weighing from 40 to 50 pounds were exhibited, and 
the quality was all that could be desired. Within 
the last 50 years the cultivation and improvement 
of the melon has steadily increased, and the number 
of varieties which are suited to different soils and 
climates has gradually grown, until the United 
States is acknowledged to be the largest melon- 
growing country in the world. 

Botany. — The muskmelon and the watermelon 
both belong to the natural order CucurhitacecE, from 
the Latin, Cucurbita, meaning a gourd. This order^ 
contains plants that are mostly tendril-bearing 
herbs, with succulent but not fleshy herbage, watery 
juice, alternate palmately ribbed and mostly lobed 
or angled leaves, monoecious or sometimes dioe- 
cious flowers ; monoecious, when flowers of both 
sexes are borne upon the same plant but only one 

^ "History of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society." 
" Gray's "Botany." 



HISTORY AND BOTANY OF THE MELON 3 

sex ill the same flower; dioecious, when the two 
sexes are borne on different plants, as is the case 
with the poplars, willows, etc., in which case one 
plant is fertile and the other is sterile, although 
both are necessary to the production of fruit. 

In the melons, the flowers are usually monoecious, 
the calyx coherent with the ovary, corolla more 
commonly monopetalous — united into one — and 
stamens usually three, of which one has a one- 
celled, the others two-celled anthers, but the an- 




Fig. 1. Muskmelon vine showing female blossom at a, and male 
blossom at b. 

thers are commonly tortuous, twisted and often all 
combined in a head and the filaments sometimes all 
united in a tube or column. In the muskmelon, 
the sterile or male flowers are borne in clusters with 
short stems, the fertile ones are solitary and mostly 
on short stems in the axil of the leaves. (See Fig. 
I.) In the watermelon the two kinds of flowers 
are solitary in the axil of the leaves. 

The muskmelon belongs to the genus Cucumis, to 
which belongs the cultivated cucumber of our gar- 
dens, and Linnaeus gave it the specific name Melo. 
Cucumis melo is therefore its botanical name. Its 



4 MELON CULTURE 

leaves differ somewhat from those of the water- 
melon in that they are roundish, heart-shaped or 
kidney-shaped, the lobes being- rounded, while those 
of the watermelon are deeply three to five-lobed, 
and the divisions again lobed or sinuate pinnatifid, 
pale or bluish. The fruit is of varying size, with a 
more or less hard rind and sweet flesh, the edible 
part being the inner portion of the pericarp, the thin 
and watery placentae being discarded with the 
seeds. 

There are a number of more or less distinct 
botanical varieties, which are classified according to 
the shape, size and character of the fruits, some of 
which are cultivated more for ornament or as curi- 
osities than for domestic use. The first two of these 
varieties mentioned below include the greater por- 
tion of our commonly cultivated muskmelons, and 
formerly served to separate them into two groups ; 
viz., cantaloupes and nutmegs, but these names are 
now often misapplied by the general public, and the 
two groups have become so confused that it is now 
scarcely possible to separate them ; in fact, the 
strictly pure cantaloupe is not grown much in this 
country. Our cultivated varieties, which com- 
monly go by the name of cantaloupes, are really 
nutmegs ; but if one wishes to be perfectly proper 
in speaking of them, he should call them all musk- 
melons, and let that suffice. 

BOTANICAL VARIETIES 

Variety Cantalonpcnsis is the cantaloupe. The 
fruits are usually hard-rined, more or less rough- 
ened or warty and often with deep furrows running 



HISTORY AND BOTANY OF THE MELON 5 

lengthwise. The name is derived from Cantalupo, 
near Rome, a former country seat of the Pope, 
whither this type of melon was brought from 
Armenia.^ In this country, as stated above, the 
name cantaloupe is often applied to muskmelons in 
general, no distinction being made between varie- 
ties, whereas it should only be used in connection 
with those having a hard, scaly rind. 

Variety Reticulatus includes the nutmeg or netted 
melons. Here the rind is more or less soft, netted 
or sometimes smooth. The Emerald Gem is a good 
example. 

Variety Flexuosus is the so-called Snake Melon or 
Snake Cucumber. The fruits are long and slender, 
variously curved, nearly green when ripe, some- 
times two and one-half to three feet in length and 
about three inches in diameter. It is sometimes 
used by the housewife in making preserves. 

Variety Chito goes by various names : Orange 
Melon, Mango Melon, Melon Apple, Garden Lemon, 
Vegetable Orange, etc. It is smaller and more deli- 
cate in vin6 than the common muskmelon and, as 
the name indicates, the fruits are much the shape 
and size of an orange, yellow in color, without 
markings, and without the characteristic melon 
odor. They are used only in making preserves. 

Variety Inodorous includes the winter melons. 
The leaves are lighter in color and less hairy than 
the ordinary melon. The fruit is mainly noted for 
its keeping qualities, as with proper attention it 
may be kept well into winter. This variety is not 
very well known in the United States, where there 
are so many superior varieties, and so its culture is 
^ "Encyclopedia of Horticulture." 



6 MELON CULTURE 

limited, for the most part, to the countries border- 
ing on the Mediterranean Sea. 

The Watermelon belongs to the genus Citrnllits, 
the name coming from the Latin word Citrus, mean- 
ing an orange or citron. Its specific name is vul- 
garis, signifying the common melon ; hence, Citrullns 
vulgaris is its botanical name. The edible pulp of 
the fruit, in which the dark seeds are imbedded, 
consists of the large and juicy placentae, which are 
usually reddish in color. The so-called citron of the 
garden is a variety of the above species with a hard 
and firm flesh, which is used for making preserves. 

Fertilization of the Flowers. — By referring again 
to the description of the flowers, it will be seen that 
plants belonging to either of these groups must de- 
pend upon some outside agency for pollination, as 
the pollen must necessarily be carried some dis- 
tance before it can come in contact with the pistil. 
In nature this is amply provided for by bees and 
other insects, which visit the flowers for the pur- 
pose <3f gathering the nectar or pollen, and also by 
the wind, which carries the pollen for a considerable 
distance and deposits it upon the pistils. It is not a 
good plan, however, to depend upon the wind en- 
tirely for pollination, as experiments have proven 
that in many instances where the insects were ex- 
cluded from the blossoms, no fertilization took place 
and the crop was a failure, although the wind had 
free access to the flowers. It is a good plan, there- 
fore, for the melon grower to combine bee keeping 
with his melon growing, as this will nearly always 
insure a good stand of fruit. 

It sometimes happens that just as the blossoms 
are beginning to appear and are nearly ready for 



HISTORY AND BOTANY OF THE MELON 7 

the pollen there comes a time of long-continued 
rainy weather, which prevents the bees from work- 
ing or the wind from blowing the pollen. This may 
result in the crop being later than usual, or it may 
cause a break in the continuity of ripening later on. 
As a general thjng, however, a rain which lasts 
only a day or two will have but little or no effect 
upon the fertilization of the flowers, because nature 
has provided for just such emergencies, and so if the 
pollen is not there when the pistil- is ready to re- 
ceive it, it simply waits for a reasonable length of 
time until it can be served. This can be shown 
very nicely by observing the common, cultivated 
carnation as grown in the greenhouse. If pollen be 
applied to the pistil as soon as it is ready for it, 
the blossom will wither and dry up within two 
days ; whereas, if the pollen is withheld, it will re- 
main open for two weeks, simply waiting for nature 
to perform her duty. 

Forcing melons, or those which are grown in the 
greenhouse or forcing houses, must be hand pollin- 
ized, as there are no insects and very little wind to 
distribute the pollen. Hand pollination is easily 
performed by simply taking a piece of clean glass 
and holding it under the mature male flowers. Then, 
by gently tapping the flower with a stick or lead 
pencil, the pollen will be jarred off on to the glass. 
It will require several flowers to produce sufficient 
pollen to make the work easy and absolutely cer- 
tain. Then, with a small camel's-hair brush, brush 
the pollen into a little heap and dip the end of the 
pistil into it. If the pistils are ready to receive it, 
one application will be sufficient, but in order to be 



8 MELON CULTURE 

absolutely certain, another application may be made 
the next day. 

As said before, however, the pistils will remain in 
a receptive condition for some time if necessary. 
This fact makes it very convenient for the experi- 
menter who wishes to cross-fertilize varieties of 
melons, for all that is necessary is for him to select 
his female blossoms, or buds, and cover them, just 
before they open, with paper sacks, leaving them on 
until the blossoms are fully open in order to pre- 
vent them from becoming pollinized from an un- 
known source. Now get the pollen in the manner 
indicated from the variety you wish to use as the 
male parent, slip off the cover and apply it to the 
waiting pistil and replace the covering, leaving it 
there until you are sure that fertilization has taken 
place. This is the method employed by the experi- 
menter when he wishes to produce new varieties 
by using parents of certain definite known charac- 
teristics. 

Another method of applying the pollen, which is 
preferred by some, is to take a camel's-hair brush 
and moisten it with the breath, then brush it over 
the mature stamens of the male blossom, when 
enough of the pollen will adhere to it to supply the 
pistils as it is applied to them. Others have good 
success by simply pinching off the mature male 
flowers and after removing most of the corolla, ap- 
plying the stamens to the pistils. There are various 
methods of performing the operation, but the results 
are the same. 



CHAPTER II 
CONDITIONS AFFECTING GROWTH 

Climatic Conditions. — As stated in the previous 
chapter, the melon is strictly a warm-weather plant, 
both the muskmelon and the watermelon coming 
from tropical or subtropical countries. Like many- 
other warm-weather plants, however, they have 
gradually worked their way northward, until they 
are now both freely grown in many parts of the 
north temperate zone. Neither of the species have, 
however, reached the point in hardiness where they 
will stand a temperature which even approaches the 
freezing point. 

It is useless, therefore, to attempt to grow melons 
in outdoor culture by planting them before all dan- 
ger of frost is over and the minimum temperature 
of the air has reachel 60° or higher. As will be 
seen farther on, some time may be gained by start- 
ing the seeds in a hotbed or greenhouse, and trans- 
planting to the open ground later on, but even this 
must not be done until the atmosphere has become 
thoroughly warmed up. This will be indicated in 
different sections of the country by the time when 
Indian corn is usually planted. 

Soil Conditions. — If the seeds of almost any of 
our upland plants are planted in soil which is cold, 
or which has not been properly drained, they will 
either rot or remain in the soil in a dormant condi- 
tion until it has reached the proper temperature. 
This is especially true with such plants as those 

9 



10 MELON CULTURE 

now under consideration. So it is generally a waste 
of time and material to plant the seeds before the 
soil is ready to receive them. 

It is a custom with many farmers, especially in 
the corn belt of the middle West, to begin planting 
their corn at a certain day of a certain month, re- 
gardless of the fact that the season may be ten days 
or two weeks later some years than others. As a 
result, the farmer is often obliged to replant .his 
corn on account, as he claims, of poor seed ; but 
by using the same kind of seed for the second plant- 
ing, a good stand is generally secured, because, in 
the meantime, the temperature, both of the soil and 
air, has been raised to the point which the corn 
requires for germination and rapid growth. Melon 
seeds require fully as high soil temperature for 
germination as does corn ; in fact, they are much 
alike in this respect. 

Tile Drainage Helps to Warm Up the Soil. — 
There are large areas of the better class of melon 
soils in the United States which do not need artifi- 
cial drainage because both the soil and subsoil are 
of a porous nature and the water level is so far be- 
low the surface that it does not interfere with the 
warming-up process but rather accelerates it. In 
these soils the capillary action is almost perfect, 
and so it does not matter much how dry the season 
is, the roots of the plants will always find moisture 
close at hand. In many sections, however, where 
melons are grown, a clayey subsoil underlies the 
looser surface soil, and this has a tendency to hold 
the free water and to keep the surface cool. 

Tile drainage under such conditions will assist 
very much in lowering the water level, and so allow- 



CONDITIONS AFFECTING GROWTH II 

ing' the excess moisture to escape and the warm air 
to penetrate to a greater depth. It must be remem- 
bered that oxygen is as necessary to the healthy 
growth of these plants as it is to the animal. The 
cells of the newly formed roots are filled with that 
life-giving principle called protoplasm, and they 
must have access to the oxygen of the air or they 
will soon die. 

The late Prof. E. S. Goff^ illustrates this in this 
way : Take a quantity of water and boil it for a 
time, so as to expel the free oxygen and then cool 
it quickly. A portion of it is then placed in a glass 
and oil is poured over it, so as to prevent the re- 
absorption of air. Leave the remainder exposed to 
the air for some time until it has reached the nor- 
mal condition. Now take cuttings from some free- 
rooting plant, like the geranium or tomato, and 
insert one into each of the glasses. In the glass con- 
taining the oil over the top the cutting will soon die, 
because there is no free oxygen in the water, while 
the one in the other glass, which has been left ex- 
posed to the air, will soon send out its rootlets and 
continue to grow. 

Or, take the same kinds of cuttings and place 
them in a soil where the free water is within six 
inches of the surface.- Make the cuttings long 
enough so that the lower ends will extend down 
into the free water. It will be found later on that 
the cuttings will have thrown out roots above the 
water level, but not from the ends which were in the 
soil which was saturated with moisture and conse- 
quently devoid of free oxygen. 
^ "Principles of Plant Culture." 



12 MELON CULTURE 

The Function of Root Hairs. — The absorption of 
plant food is accomplished by means of very fine 
root hairs, which may be seen very nicely on melon 
roots which have grown between folds of muslin 
or thick paper. These root hairs play a very im- 
portant part in the growth and development of the 
plant, but they cannot perform their natural func- 
tion in the absence of free air. This condition ex- 
ists in soils that either contain an excess of moisture 
or that have been worked while they were in this 
condition, thereby causing them to bake. 

The ideal soil for this class of plants, therefore, 
must contain enough plant food and water to fully 
supply the plants and yet be so porous that the air 
can circulate through it and come in contact with 
the roots. Each particle of such a soil is surrounded 
with a thin film of water, while between the parti- 
cles are spaces connected with each other and filled 
with moist air that is in communication with the 
air above the soil. The root hairs apply themselves 
intimately to the wet surfaces of the soil particles, 
or extend themselves into cavities filled with sat- 
urated air, and are thus able to draw in the well- 
aerated soil water with its dissolved food constitu- 
ents in sufficient quantities to restore the loss from 
transpiration and to distend the newly formed cells. 

It must be remembered that the soil is Nature's 
great chemical laboratory, in which many changes 
are going on constantly; by decomposition, the 
countless million, of plants and animals are acted 
upon by myriads of bacteria, whereby nitric acid, 
which supplies the higher plants with their most 
useful food element — nitrogen — is formed. The 
carbonic acid which these plants took from the air 



CONDITIONS AFFECTING GROWTH I3 

during growth is also set free to slowly disintegrate 
the mineral elements, rendering these soluble and 
available as plant food. In winter the frost acts 
upon the hard, compact particles, separating them 
and making them permeable to air and unlocking 
new supplies of plant food that would otherwise 
be unavailable. 

Our upland crops secure a large portion of their 
nitrogen, as well as other food constituents, from 
decaying animal and vegetable matter, and it is of 
very great importance for such plants as melons, 
which must complete their growth in a compara- 
tively short period, that as much of this material be 
made immediately available as possible. The appli- 
cation of well-rotted barn manure or commercial 
fertilizers, which act quickly by giving up to the 
plant the necessary food elements in an available 
form, is, therefore, especially valuable. 

Drainage is also essential in land that is inclined 
to be heavy or where the water table is too near 
the surface, because it serves to promote aeration 
by removing the surplus water and places the parti- 
cles of soil in the proper relation to moisture for 
the reception of the plant roots. Plants of the na- 
ture of those under discussion will not thrive with 
wet feet. 



CHAPTER III 
SOILS 

For Muskmelons. — Most writers on muskmelons 
advocate the selection of rather heavy, sandy loams 
for the best success in commercial melon growing, 
for the reason that the muskmelon seems to require 
a soil which contains an abundance of vegetable 
matter on which the plant can draw for its food 
supply during the entire season, rather than during 
a comparatively short space of time. While it is 
true that the muskmelon can be grown successfully 
on almost any good loamy soil, it is a fact that in 
the melon regions of the middle West, as well as 
in the South, the sandy soils are almost universally 
selected for commercial purposes where it is possi- 
ble to do so. 

Some of the most successful growers in the Ohio 
and Mississippi valleys select a sandy soil that is 
rich enough, or that can be made rich enough, to 
produce a good stand of clover. Then, in order to 
put it in the best possible condition for melons and 
to keep it so, they arrange a three or four-year rota- 
tion, starting with clover, then melons, then wheat, 
and then back to clover for one or two years. By 
this process a minimum amount of manure is re- 
quired to keep up the fertility, as these crops fur- 
nish a good supply of humus in the soil, and what 
manure is used for the melons is usually applied in 
the hills, although some broadcast it for musk- 
melons, as the hills are much closer together than 
in the case of watermelons. 

14 



SOILS 15 

As soon as the melon crop is harvested, they sim- 
ply disk the ground with a disk harrow and sow to 
wheat, sowing clover with the wheat in the spring. 
This is either pastured or cut for hay and the land 
prepared for melons again the third or fourth year. 
Some add corn to this rotation, which is not a bad 
idea, as it adds another year to the time allotted 
between the melon crops. This process seems to 
fulfill the requirements of the melon plants very 
nicely, as it gives them a seed bed that is full of 
nitrogen, which will cause the plants to respond 
very quickly and grow rapidly, and enables them tO' 
overcome the attacks of insects and diseases with 
which they have to contend. 

The sandy land is also selected because it warms 
up more quickly and can be worked earlier in the 
spring. It does not need much artificial drainage, 
it does not bake after heavy rains, and consequently 
may be put into condition to receive the plants or 
seeds with less labor than can the heavier soils. 
Then, again, the crop will begin to mature earlier 
on the sand than on clay, which in itself is a very 
important consideration from the money standpoint. 
All of these points must be kept in mind by the 
successful melon grower. 

For Watermelons. — The watermelon, like the 
muskmelon, is an all-season plant, as well as a 
strictly warm-weather plant, and this applies to the 
underground system as well as to that portion 
which grows above ground. But while the musk- 
melon will produce good crops on a moderately 
heavy soil, the watermelon is at its best only on a 
deep, light, warm, sandy soil. 

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SOILS 17 

in a commercial way at least, on a cold, wet soil. In 
the first place, the seeds would most likely rot be- 
fore they could have time to germinate, and if some 
of them did succeed in germinating, the plants 
would make only a feeble growth, and the crop 
would amount to nothing. To be sure, some fairly 
good melons may be grown, on a small scale for 
family use, on almost any good loamy soil, provid- 
ing it is well drained and not too rich in nitroge- 
nous material so as to produce a luxuriant growth 
of vine at the expense of fruit ; but the farmer who 
has only a heavy, clay soil or rich bottom land, had 
better devote his energies toward raising wheat 
and corn, and buy what watermelons the family 
needs ; because, if he attempts to raise them under 
such conditions, he will only meet with disappoint- 
ment. But if he can find a patch of light sand on 
the place, by using plenty of fertilizer, he can raise 
the finest kind of melons. 

Nor is there much danger of the sand being too 
light and porous. Some of the best watermelon 
land that can be found anywhere may be found 
in sections of the Ohio and Mississippi valleys 
where the sand is so light and loose that farmers 
are sometimes obliged to haul straw and place it in 
the road in order to be able to haul their melons 
to market ; and yet that soil retains the moisture 
and plant food sufficient to produce heavy crops of 
melons of the highest quality during the driest sea- 
sons. (See Fig. 2.) Corn also forms a part of the 
rotation on some of these lands, and from fifty to 
seventy-five bushels per acre is often produced. 
Much of this is due to the ability of these soils to retain 
moisture and to furnish it to the plants as needed. 



CHAPTER IV 
THE SEED 

There are so many factors which enter into the 
seed proposition, that it becomes a matter of vital 
importance to the melon grower. And one of the 
very first essentials is that of good, sound seeds — 
seeds which have been properly handled and have 
not lost their vitality. While melon seeds will re- 
tain their germinating powers for a number of 
years if the proper conditions are maintained, yet 
it is comparatively easy to destroy their vitality by 
improper care. 

Some of the conditions affecting the duration of 
seed vitality were set forth by the late Prof. E. S. 
Goff of the University of Wisconsin. One of the 
most important conditions is a uniform degree of 
humidity and temperature.-^ So handling the seeds 
as to cause as little drain as possible upon the life 
of the living cells tends greatly to prolong the vital 
period of seeds. Seeds deeply buried in the ground 
are often capable of germination at a great age, be- 
cause in such cases the seeds are subjected to prac- 
tically no variations in humidity and temperature. 

Seeds of many of our common weeds which have 
been plowed under quite deeply remain in the soil 
in perfect condition for years until they are again 
brought to the surface, when they germinate and 
grow. The writer has carried on experiments along 
this line by placing seeds of some of our common 

* "Principles of Plant Culture." 

18 



THE SEED 



19 



garden vegetables in bottles and burying them in 
the ground about two feet deep ; after 20 years, 
they were taken up and tested for germination, 
when it was found that nearly as high a degree of 
vitality was maintained as we commonly get with 
fresh seeds. 

Moisture is another factor which must be reck- 
oned with in maintaining the vitality of stored 
seeds. Seeds that are kept too moist are very likely 
to develop fungous diseases which may result in the 
destruction of the germ or embryo. Freezing at 
such a time, except in case of those seeds which re- 
quire freezing in order to burst the hard covering, 
may also destroy the vitality of the seeds. It is 
highly important, therefore, that seeds like those 
of the melon should be carefully dried as soon as 
they are separated from the pulp, and kept in a 
moderately warm and dry atmosphere until planted. 

The age of the seeds often has much to do with 
the germinating power. With some species, better 
results are obtained if the seed is not more than a 
year old. The onion is a good example of this class, 
but melons or cucumbers may be grown success- 
fully from seeds that are five or, in some cases, even 
ten years old. It is said by successful melon grow- 
ers, that the best results are usually obtained from 
seeds which are two or three years old, providing, 
of course, they have been properly handled. The 
fresh seeds will often produce the greatest degree 
of luxuriance of plant and foliage, but the fruiting 
qualities come with age. It is highly important, 
therefore, if the melon grower saves his own seeds, 
which is often the case, to save enough during favor- 
able seasons to last for a number of years ; or, in 



20 MELON CULTURE 

other words, to constantly have a supply of two 
or three-year old seeds on hand. 

Testing the Seed. — There is, perhaps, not so much 
necessity for the melon grower to test his seeds as 
there is for the general truck grower, or the grain 
farmer, because, as we have already seen, melon 
seed will retain its vitality for a number of years 
if properly cured and stored, and so there is not so 
much danger of getting seed which has lost much, if 
not all, of its vitality on account of age. Formerly 
it was not an uncommon thing for seedsmen to 
keep over any surplus seeds from one year to an- 
other in order to guard against any possible failure 
of the seed crop the following season. In case of 
a shortage in any crop, these old seeds could be 
mixed with the new, and still the new crop would 
maintain a fairly respectable percentage of germina- 
tion. I do not believe that this is the case now, 
however, especially with our old and well-estab- 
lished seed firms, but, instead, their seeds are all 
tested for germination before they are sent out. 
Nevertheless, the melon grower has quite as much 
at stake as has the general farmer when he plants 
his crop, and so it behooves him to make himself 
absolutely sure that his seed is going to grow, as 
upon this fact depends success or failure. 

How to Test the Seed. — If there is a little space 
in the hotbed that will not be occupied for a few 
days, the seeds may be sowed in a flat or shallow 
box and set in the hotbed, where the conditions 
will be most favorable for germination. One hun- 
dred seeds of each of the lots to be tested will not 
require much room, and the percentage of germina- 
tion may be easily reckoned. If ten per cent, or 



THE SEED 



21 



more, of the seeds fail to germinate, it will then be 
best to add to the number of seeds planted, for it 
is much cheaper and safer to thin out than to be 
obliged to replant. If one has no hotbed, all that is 
necessary is tO' take a couple of dinner plates ; on 
one place a piece of muslin or canton flannel, mois- 
ten it, place lOO seeds upon it so they will not 
touch each other, place another piece of damp cloth 
over them and turn the other plate bottom side up 



Sr'^' *«;-» -"S^Hs'^f****-^?^ 






Fig. 3. Seed-testing box filled with corn after the melon seeds 
had germinated. 



over the whole to prevent evaporation, and set the 
whole in a warm place for a few days, when they 
may be counted out and the percentage of germina- 
tion ascertained. Another inexpensive seed tester 
is shown in Fig 3. It is simply a shallow box or 
tray, of almost any dimensions not too large to be 
easily handled, with wires stretched across in both 
directions, two inches apart each way. This will 
make little pockets or squares large enough to hold 



22. MELON CULTURE 

five or ten melon seeds. This flat is then filled with 
clean sand which has l^een dampened, the seeds put 
in place as indicated in the cut, and the whole 
covered with glass in order to prevent evaporation, 
and placed in a warm room for a few days. It is an 
easy matter then to count out and figure the per 
cent of those which have germinated. This requires 
but very little labor and expense, and the satisfac- 
tion of knowing that the seeds are going to grow 
will add greatly to one's peace of mind. 

Selecting Melons for Seed; Its Influence on the 
Crop. — It is pretty generally understood by those 
who have given the matter attention that there are 
a number of influences at work in the production of 
a melon crop concerning which the average farmer 
or gardener knows but little, or if he knows about 
them, he seldom if ever attempts to follow them 
out to their logical conclusions. For example, take 
the matter of selecting melons for seeds for future 
planting. A little observation will show one that, 
in most cases, the most haphazard methods are prac- 
ticed by the growers who save their own seeds. 
To be sure, many of the large commercial growers 
Ijave a kind of standard which they follow, but in 
most cases they do not follow out their selection 
with reference to any logical sequence. For ex- 
ample, each grower has his own idea as to the size 
and shape of the melon which he wishes to grow, 
and he selects fruits for seeds along those lines en- 
tirely, disregarding two of the most important 
points which go to make a perfect and profitable 
melon; viz.. productiveness and quality. 

Instead of going into the field and selecting the 
type of melon wanted from the most productive 



TPIE SEED 



23 



hills, and then testing the- quality of the fruit be- 
fore saving the seeds, the more common practice 
is to wait until the wagon comes from the field with 
a load and then to select the seed melons from this 
promiscuous lot. (See Fig. 4.) In this way the 
grower may be able to preserve the type of melon 
he wishes to grow at the expense of those other 
very important qualities. This is like the old 







Fig. 4. A poor Netted Gem, the result of haphazard selection of 
seed melons. 



method of saving seed corn by waiting until plant- 
ing time and then going to the crib and selecting the 
type of ear wanted without knowing anything about 
the kind of plant from which it came. 

Many experiments have been tried along this line, 
not only with melons, but with other crops as well, 
all of which tend to prove the truth of this state- 



24 



MELON CULTURE 



ment. Individual hills grown from the same lot of 
seeds, as we get them in the market, and given the 
same treatment in every respect, will often vary in 
their productive powers from 25 to 200 per cent. 
It is often the case, however, that the unproductive 
hill will produce fruits which are as true to the type 
as the more productive plants ; hence, the selecting 
of the melons for seed in the field, as they are taken 







Fig. 5. A much better type than Fig. 4. 



from the vine, where all of these characters may be 
taken into account, becomes a matter of great im- 
portance. (See, Fig. 5.) 

Prof. P. K. Blinn of Rocky Ford, Colorado, found 
that, by planting the seeds from a single melon 
separately, the product of this melon was so uni- 
form in all of its qualities that it was evident to him 
that the individual selection must be considered an 
essential point in breeding, not only for type, qual- 
ity and productiveness, but in securing strains which 



THE SEED 



25 



are disease-resistant. Hence, it is not only impor- 
tant to select from individual plants, but individual 
fruits as well; and then, too, we should separate the 
breeding- plots as far as possible to prevent any un- 
desirable crosses. 

Seeds from Immature Fruits. — In general, seeds 
that are gathered from immature fruits will produce 
an earlier ripening crop, but a more delicate and 
weaker-growing plant; and if this process is fol- 
lowed up for a few generations, we will have the 
crop " running out," simply because the plants have 
lost their vitality. Seeds from such immature fruits 
are much more difficult to germinate than are those 
from well-matured fruits. Seeds from immature 
fruits seem to have trouble in throwing off their 
seed coats and getting their roots established in the 
soil. Many of them perish during the germination 
period. 

Such seeds, too, do not weigh more than two- 
thirds as much as those from fruits that are fully 
ripe; consequently, the young plantlets lack consti- 
tutional vigor and are more easily affected by re- 
tarding or harmful influences. If they can be 
brought through the early period of growth and be- 
come well established, and the foliage or fruit is not 
attacked by rots or blights, the grower will usually 
be rewarded by an earlier and more abundant crop 
of slightly smaller and less firm fruit. These char- 
acters will be more strongly emphasized in subse- 
quent years by continuous seed propagation along 
these lines.^ Gofif states^ that seeds not fully grown 
lack a part of their normal food supply and their 

^J. C. Arthur. 

" "Principles of Plant Culture." 



26 MELON CULTURE 

embryo is probably imperfectly developed. If capa- 
ble of germination, they rarely, if ever, produce vig- 
orous plants. 

As a rule, the most vigorous plants come from 
fully matured seeds. Immature seeds, persistently 
used, probably tend to reduced vigor, early matu- 
rity, dwarfness, and shortened life. And Bailey 
remarks^ that these results are probably closely 
associated with the chemical constitution and con- 
tent of the immature seeds. The organic com- 
pounds have not yet reached a state of stability, 
and they therefore respond quickly to external 
stimuli when placed in conditions suitable to 
germination, and there is little food for the nourish- 
ment of the plantlet. The consequent weakness of 
the plantlet results in a loss of vegetable vigor, 
which is earliness. In other words, if the melon 
grower wishes to increase the earliness of his crop, 
he can do so by persistently gathering his seeds 
from immature fruits, but he will invariably secure 
earliness at the expense of vigor of plant, and with- 
out a vigorous plant the crop of fruit will inevitably 
be shortened. More than that, a plant that is weak 
in vitality cannot produce a fruit of the highest 
quality. It is a recognized fact, therefore, that seeds 
like the melon and cucumber will produce the 
greatest yield of the highest quality fruit from well- 
ripened seeds which are two or three years old.^ 

Early vs. Late Ripening Fruits for Seed. — There 
is a prevalent opinion that, in order to prevent de- 
terioration in the time of ripening of the melons, 
it is necessary to select the first ripe fruits for seed. 

^ "Plant Breeding." 

'A. B. A., Vol. IV, page 165. 



THE SEED 27 

111 other words, if one waits until toward the close 
of the season before selecting fruits for seed, the 
tendency will be for the succeeding crop to be later 
in ripening, and if this is followed up for a few 
years, a naturally early variety will be transformed 
into a late variety. At first thought, one might 
naturally take it for granted that such would be the 
case, and yet I have been unable to find any well- 
authenticated data, coming from actual experi- 
ments, on the subject. In reply to an inquiry, Dr. 
B. D. Halstead, of Rutgers College, New Brunswick, 
New Jersey, says : " I do not know where to turn 
for the information you desire. The whole subject 
is well worthy of prolonged study, as only a long 
series of generations can give the required data for 
the deducing of a rule." 

The same list of questions was addressed to Prof. 
P. K. Blinn of Rocky Ford, Colorado, and here is 
his reply: "In regard to developing early maturity 
in cantaloupes, I have found in my work, that the 
individual plant is the unit of variation, and should 
be the unit of selection ; that is, if seed of a number 
of individual plants from even a relatively pure 
variety be saved separate and planted. in a compara- 
tive test under uniform conditions, there are apt 
to be marked contrasts in time of development as 
well as many other variations which olTer the op- 
portunity for selection of any of the desired traits. 
The more careful and systematic the breeding or 
seed selection has been, the less the variations will 
be and the more uniform the product. As a general 
proposition, the early selected seed will tend to 
produce the earlier crop, for the reason that the 
early selection will obviously include more of the 



28 MELON CULTURE 

seed from early maturing plants than the late selec- 
tions from the same field would have. 

" As to the specific question as to whether the 
early matured seed from a given plant will pro- 
duce earlier results than late maturing seed from 
the same plant, I have not found in my work any 
appreciable difference, except that the early seed is 
apt to be much plumper and heavier, which will nat- 
urally produce a more vigorous, early, better-fed 
seedling, and, consequently, earlier crops. We have 
seen this here every year in sacking cantaloupe 
seed ; the ordinary seamless sack will hold eighty 
to eighty-five pounds, while of the late-saved seed 
only about seventy or seventy-five pounds can be 
gotten into a sack, and this difference is mostly in 
the seed kernel ; hence, there is another reason 
for the superior value of early selected seed." 

Effect of Latitude and Altitude on Early Matu- 
rity. — In. a circular on cantaloupe breeding. Profes- 
sor Blinn makes the following statement concern- 
ing the efifect of latitude and altitude on the time 
of ripening: "It has long been an established fact 
that early maturity in plants can be hastened by 
using seed from a higher altitude or more north- 
erly latitude. It is also true that seed grown under 
dry climate conditions where the moisture is con- 
trolled by irrigation is plumper and heavier and 
superior in vigor and vitality to that produced in 
humid sections having excessive rainfall." One 
should not deceive himself, however, by thinking 
that because the melon was grown in Colorado, or 
any other state of a similar altitude, it will neces- 
sarily produce melons of superior quality. 



THE SEED 29 

Many mistakes have been made and disappoint- 
ments experienc'ed by growers in different parts of 
the country by planting northern grown seed which 
was taken from melons indiscriminately from the 
field without any thought of selection. The law of 
heredity and environment holds true in Colorado 
as well as anywhere else. Because a certain strain 
of seed will produce good results in Colorado, it does 
not necessarily follow that it will do equally as 
well in other states and under entirely different 
conditions. It is only after a long period of selec- 
tion of seed from melons of the same strain which 
have been grown under different environments that 
we can be reasonably certain of success. Says Pro- 
fessor Blinn : " Ten years in cantaloupe breeding 
has demonstrated that in such heredity tests some 
will breed uniformly true, a desirable type, while 
others will be irregular and worthless as seed. If 
choice specimens are again selected and given an- 
other heredity test, the variations will be less 
marked and the seed will improve along the lines of 
selection. After a few years of systematic effort, 
the reproducing tendency of seed so developed can 
be depended upon, but the system should be contin- 
ued indefinitely to constantly produce reliable 
seed." 



CHAPTER V 
FERTILIZERS FOR MELONS 

The kind and quantity of fertilizers needed for 
melons will depend very largely upon the kind and 
condition of the land to be planted. If ordinary 
farm crops, in which clover or some other legumi- 
nous crop has a place in the rotation, have been 
grown on the land for some time, the probability 
is that the soil will already contain a fair amount, 
at least, of vegetable matter, which is very essential 
to the proper growth and development of the mem- 
bers of the vine family, such as melons, cucumbers, 
pumpkins, and squashes. As a matter of fact, how- 
ever, we usually find that in most sections of the 
country where melons are grown extensively, often 
covering hundreds of acres, the soil is of a sandy 
nature, often very light sand, which is deficient in 
vegetable matter. 

The quickest and cheapest way to supply this to 
the soil is by means of clover, cowpeas or soy 
beans. I am aware that in some sections it is quite 
difficult to get clover to grow successfully, and in 
such cases the cowpeas or soy beans will answer 
just as well. They may be sowed at the rate of one 
bushel 'per acre at corn-planting time, in which case 
they will be ready to turn under in the fall, or they 
may follow an early crop of peas or sugar corn and 
be handled exclusively as a cover crop, to be 
" hogged down " during the fall and winter. After 
one or two of these crops have been incorporated 



FERTILIZERS FOR MELONS 3 1 

with the soil, there will not be any trouble about 
securing a stand of clover in the regular rotation. 

It must be borne in mind, however, that, like 
everything else, this may be overdone and the soil 
become so rich in vegetable matter that the vines 
will produce a fruit that is overgrown ; too large for 
the variety, and of poor quality, as well as being 
later in ripening. We must remember that there 
are two contending forces at work in a plant; viz., 
the vegetative and the reproductive. In some the 
vegetative is most prominent, while in others the 
reproductive character seems to be strongest. 

Melon plants that have a tendency to produce a 
large amount of vine and foliage are usually low 
in their fruit-producing capacity, and vice versa. 
This, however, may be remedied to a great extent, 
by careful attention to the kinds and amounts of 
fertilizers used. If the tendency is to produce too 
much grow^th of vine at the expense of fruit, then 
the nitrogenous elements in the fertilizer should be 
reduced and more of the fruit-producing elements 
added. On the other hand, if the plant is weak in 
vegetation, it should be stimulated by adding more 
of the nitrogenous compounds. The successful 
commercial melon grower, therefore, will see to it 
that his soil is in first-class condition, not only to 
enable it to produce a large crop of fine-looking 
melons, but melons of the highest quality. This 
will require a balancing up of the elements of plant 
food, but the best way to do it will have to be 
studied by each individual grower. (See Fig. 6.) 

In his book on fertilizers,^ Voorhees makes the 
following statements concerning the needs of these 

^ "Fertilizers," Voorhees. 



FERTILIZERS FOR MELONS 33 

crops now under discussion : " All of these crops 
seem to require an abundance of vegetable matter 
in the soil in order to make their first growth 
Hence, upon soils deficient in this respect, manures 
should be applied which are rich in vegetable mat- 
ter. Composts in the hill have proved of special 
advantage, as they seem to encourage an immediate 
feeding and prevent delay in early growth. In the 
best growth of the plants it is also necessary that 
the mineral elements shall be available and that 
the nitrogen shall be of such character as to en- 
courage a continuous, rather than a quick growth 
of vine ; that is, unless the quickening nitrates are 
applied frequently, they are less desirable than 
organic forms of nitrogen. Hence, with the usual 
broadcast application of the basic mixture at the 
time of planting, together with a compost in the hill, 
further application of organic nitrogen should be 
made, its character to be such as to promise a rela- 
tively rapid change into nitrate. The basic mix- 
ture may be reinforced by any one of the following 
materials : 200 to 300 pounds per acre of cottonseed 
meal, 100 to 200 pounds per acre of dried blood, or 
300 to 400 pounds of fine ground tankage, Any 
organic substance whose greater part will decay in 
one season will generally give better results than 
the nitrate, unless the latter is applied in frequent 
small top-dressings, because organic forms of nitro- 
gen provide for a continuous growth of vine and 
fruit, while too great an abundance of immediately 
available nitrogen as nitrate is liable to cause too 
rapid and large growth of fruit of poor quality." 

It is a common practice in the middle West to plow 
the land quite deeply — eight or nine inches — as early 



34 MELON CULTURE 

as it can be worked, using a jointer on the plow in 
order to make sure that all the vegetation is turned 
under The soil is then worked over several times 
in order to get it thoroughly pulverized and com- 
pact. As the time for planting approaches, the land 
is thoroughly harrowed and then marked off with 
either a breaking plow or an ordinary single shovel 
plow, ID by ID, 9 by 9, or 8 by 10 feet for water- 
melons, and about 5 by 5 or 5 by 6 feet for musk- 
melons. A shovelful of well-rotted stable manure 
is then placed at each intersection of the furrows 
where the hills are to be and well worked into the 
soil. This gives the young plants an early and vig- 
orous start, and if the balance of the soil is in fairly 
good condition, from plowing under clover and 
other cover crops, they are able to maintain a good 
growth throughout the season. Where stable 
manure cannot be obtained, a mixture of commer- 
cial fertilizer, similar to the formula given by Voor- 
hees. is used, thoroughly mixed wiiii the soil before 
planting. 



CHAPTER VI 
STARTING THE PLANTS 

Planting in the Open Ground. — In the more 
southern portion of the country, where the season 
is long and there is very little danger from frost, 
the common practice is to plant the seeds in the 
open ground where the plants are to grow. This, 
of course, is a great advantage where it can be done 
without endangering the crop by frost, as it saves a 
large expense of handling and transferring the 
plants. The melon does not take kindly to having 
its roots disturbed; hence, great care is necessary 
in transferring them from the seed bed to the field. 
Southern growers, therefore, usually practice the 
simplest and cheapest methods of getting the crop 
started. 

But even in the South, the commercial melon 
growers wish to get their crops on to the market 
as early as possible in order to catch the highest 
prices ; so it often happens that the ground is made 
ready and the seed planted before the season has 
become very far advanced ; and if cold weather 
threatens, all that is necessary is to cover the hills 
with some kind of litter until the soil and air are 
warm enough to insure safety. This method applies 
more especially to the muskmelon than to the wa- 
termelon. As the melon is not a deep feeder, but 
rather spreads out its root system near the surface, 
following after the manner of growth common to 
the vine above ground, it is not considered necessary 

35 



^6 MELON CULTURE 

by the southern grower, at least, to plow his land 
very deeply before planting, as this would in a meas- 
ure disturb the ordinary habit of the plant, causing 
it to root deeper and to produce a heavier crop of 
vines at the expense of fruit. He would rather put 
on the surface the extra labor required in deep plow- 
ing, thoroughly pulverizing and mixing the surface 
soil with the harrow ; then, when the seeds are 
planted, they germinate quickly and the young 
plants start off quickly and vigorously and produce 
ripe fruit earlier than they would on a deeper soil. 

The same method is employed quite largely by 
the more northern growers, especially those in the 
middle West or Mississippi valley; but as we go 
farther north, the land is plowed deeper, some of 
the most successful growers plowing as deep as 
eight inches. Their object is to secure a warm 
seed bed to a greater depth than could be had by 
shallow plowing. As soon as the weather is warm 
enough, the land is gone over with the harrow and 
thoroughly stirred so as to destroy any weeds which 
may have started. It is then marked off in furrows, 
as indicated in Chapter V, the manure is applied, 
the hills are made about level with the surface and 
the seed is covered about an inch deep if the soil 
is moist; if not, it is covered a little deeper. If the 
soil has been made very fine and the subsoil is such 
as to retain moisture, capillary attraction will bring 
the proper amount of moisture up to where the 
seeds can make use of it, even if the surface is quite 
dry. The old method of mounding up the soil for 
the hills, so as to secure a greater degree of heat, is 
now about obsolete. 

Plant Plenty of Seeds. — Growers usually like to 



STARTING THE PLANTS 37 

use plenty of seeds so as to insure a good stand. 
The cost of seed is a small item when compared 
with the loss in time in replanting and the conse- 
quent unevenness in the time of ripening of the 
crop. The number of seeds used will depend some- 
what upon the results obtained from the tests for 
germination which have been made previously, but, 
generally speaking, from two to four times as many 
seeds are planted as are expected to remain for the 
crop. Then, after the plants are well up, the weaker 
ones are thinned out, so that not more than twO' or 
three plants remain. It will require from two to 
three pounds of muskmelon and four to five pounds 
of watermelon seed to an acre. 

Starting in Hotbeds. — Our more northern grow- 
ers, especially those in the upper Mississippi valley, 
use the hotbed and cold frame very generally for 
starting the muskmelon, and some use them for 
starting the watermelons as well, although the lat- 
ter are generally planted in the open ground. This 
enables them to gain from one to two weeks in time 
of ripening. "These beds (Fig. 7) are substantially 
built of 2 X 8 planking and are 9 feet wide and from 
25 to 40 feet long, many of them holding from 
2,000 to 3,000 plants, or enough to plant nearly two 
acres. A single grower sometimes has a range of 
30 to 40 of these beds, enabling him to set from 50 
to 75 acres of cantaloupes. The beds are usually 
placed in a warm and sheltered location so as to get 
the benefit of the early spring sun. The seed is 
started in this latitude during the last week in 
March or the first week in April in small veneer 
boxes. These are about 5 inches square, and are 
similar to berry boxes, except the bottoms are flush 



38 MELON CULTURE 

instead of being recessed. These are placed side by 
side in the bottom of the hotbed and are filled with 
finely prepared earth or compost. Great care is 
taken with the material for the seed bed, and it is 
frequently worked over before being used. The 
soil is made firm and allowed to come slightly above 
the tops of the boxes in the hotbed. It is then 
marked out in squares in such a way that the inter- 
section of the marks center the boxes, and the seeds 
are planted therein. After putting in the seeds, 




Fig. 7. Hotbeds where the melon seeds are started. 

careful attention is given to watering, to ventilating 
and to keeping out weeds. A day temperature is 
maintained at first of from 50 to 60 degrees. As the 
time for transplanting draws near, more air is given 
in order to harden off the young plants. The seed- 
lings are moved about in the beds to fill any possi- 
ble vacancies and by the time they are ready to 
transplant a perfect stand has been secured.^" 

These plant boxes are very cheap and may be had 
from almost any berry box manufacturer. They 
come " knocked down " the same as do the quart 
or pint berry boxes and may be made up by the 

^ Bulletin 123, Purdue Experiment Station. 



STARTING THE PLANTS 



39 



grower. In case, however, one needs only a com- 
paratively few hills for home use, the seeds may be 
planted upon pieces of inverted sod. A tough blue 
grass sod is cut about two inches deep and is then 
cut into squares of about four inches each way. 
These are placed bottom up in flats and about three 
seeds are placed in the center of each piece. The 
flats are then put into the hotbed and the seeds cov- 
ered with fine soil and kept well watered. Many 
of the small commercial growers practice this 
method of starting seeds. 




Fig. 8. This is easier- than watering by hand. 



" Several methods for watering are in successful 
use. A common method is to mount a tank on 
trucks and drive along the hotbeds watering 
through a lead of hose provided with a rosette noz- 
zle. (See Fig. 8.) Some growers whose beds are 
near their windmills have pipe lines laid among 
their beds with hydrants conveniently located for 
watering with the hose, the pressure being supplied 
by a tank in the windmill tower." Whatever 
method of watering is employed, enough water 



40 MELON CULTURE 

should be used to moisten the entire mass of soil 
instead of simply wetting- the surface. One should 
remember that it is the roots that need the mois- 
ture, and not the tops so much. A good watering 
once in two or three days is far better than a slight 
sprinkle every day. 

Starting in Hothouses. — Where one is fortunate 
enough to have a hothouse or greenhouse, the plants 
may be started in this and the hotbeds may be dis- 
pensed with. But owing to the much greater ex- 
pense in constructing and heating a hothouse, it 
would not be advisable to do so for melons alone ; 
but where one already has a house which is used 
for other forcing crops, such as lettuce, tomatoes, 
and the like, it will be found to be very useful for 
starting the melon plants, as the lettuce and toma- 
toes will be well towards the close of their season 
before much of the room will be needed for the 
melons. In this case, there will doubtless be plenty 
of four-inch pots which can be utilized for starting 
the melons instead of the plant boxes. The hot- 
house has one advantage over the hotbed for this 
purpose in that the temperature and watering can 
be kept under better control than is possible in a hot- 
bed. As the season approaches for planting out-of- 
doors, all of the windows and ventilating sashes 
should be left open night and day in order to harden 
ofT the plants and accustom them to outdoor tem- 
perature. 



CHAPTER VII 

CULTURAL METHODS 

Transplanting. — If the plants have been properly- 
cared for in the hotbed so that they have made a 
good, vigorous growth and have been well hard- 
ened off, they should be ready to go into the field 
in about four weeks from the time of planting. The 
plants will then have reached that stage of develop- 
ment when it would be unsafe to keep them confined 
longer in their narrow quarters. The transplanting 
season is a very busy time with the commercial 
melon grower. A large force of men is required in 
order to get the work done as quickly as possible 
and to insure uniformity in the growth of the 
plants. 

The field has already been prepared, as indicated 
in the previous chapter, by furrowing out both ways 
or by furrowing one way and simply marking the 
other so that the hills will be the required distance 
apart, which will vary, according to the notions of 
the grower, from 4x4 to 5x7 feet apart for musk- 
melons, and 8x10 to loxio feet for watermelons. 
Four by four feet, however, is too close for either. 
This does not give room enough for the plants to 
develop properly; and, more than that, it is practi- 
cally impossible for one to spray and otherwise care 
for the plants or to harvest the crop without greatly 
injuring the vines. A common distance, therefore, 
is about 4x6 or 5x7 feet for muskmelons. The fol- 



42 



MELON CULTURE 



lowing table shows the number of plants required 
to plant an acre at different distances apart : 

Plants Required for an Acre 



feet equals 2,722 hills 

" 2,178 " 

" 1,500 " 

" 1,742 " 

" 1,250 " 

1,210 " 

680 " 

537 " 

435 " 

360 " 

302 " 



4 


X 


4 


4 


X 


5 


4% 


X 


6^ 


.5 


X 


5 


5 


X 


7 


6 


X 


6 


8 


X 


8 


9 


X 


9 


10 


X 


10 


II 


X 


II 


12 


X 


12 



When ready to be taken to the field, the plants 
should be thoroughly watered, so that they can be 
handled without disturbing the soil about the roots. 
In the large melon districts, large flat-topped wagons 
are provided for hauling the plants to the field. 
(See Fig.. 9.) The boxes are set off at the intersec- 
tions, and a gang of boys take them and, with a 
stout pocket knife, slit the corners so that the box 
easily drops off, leaving the soil and plants intact. 
They are then placed in the hills and a second gang 
of men follows up and draws the soil up around the 
cube of earth which holds the plants. Some do 
this work with hoes, while others go on their knees 
and simply use their hands, as the sand is very 
easily handled. By this method the roots are no^; 
disturbed and the plants continue to grow without 
any check. 



CULTURAL METHODS 



43 



Horse cultivation should now begin and continue 
almost constantly for the first two or three weeks, 
especially if the season is dry, so as to conserve 
the moisture and keep the plants growing. After 
every rain, the cultivator should be started as soon 
as possible in order to prevent any crust from form- 
ing and a consequent loss of moisture. Keep this 
up as long as the horse and cultivator can get 




Fig. 9. Hauling the plants to the field for transplanting. 



through without injuring the vines. Some growers 
prefer to plow deep while the plants are small in 
order to prepare the soil for the young feeding roots 
which will soon make their appearance, following 
this with shallow cultivation until the vines cover 
the ground. With such treatment but lit'tle hand 
hoeing is needed. But different conditions call for 
different treatment, and so the resourceful grower 



44 MELON CULTURE 

will exercise his ingenuity in trying to meet those 
conditions. There are sections in the melon grow- 
ing regions where the soil is a very light sand and 
the coimtry generally level, where the melon vines 
are sometimes injured to a considerable extent by 
being blown around by the wind and the conditions 
have to be met. 

Here is the way one of our very successful grow- 
ers meets this obstacle. He says •} " I plant our 
watermelons 9 by 12 feet apart, and immediately 
after the third plowing I plant a catch crop, as I call 
it, and for this I prefer to use navy beans. Follow- 
ing the row in which the hills are 12 feet apart, I 
plant a hill of beans 4 feet on each side of the melon 
hill. They will come up just in time for a thorough 
plowing, following the rows in which the hills are 9 
feet apart, plowing a row of melons and then a row 
of beans, and so on. This gives clean ground for 
the vines to run on and mellow beds for the feed- 
ers to run through. The vines are now reaching for 
something to catch hold of to keep the wind from 
tossing them about, and they will soon find the 
bean hill ; or, if they do not, they should be laid in 
that direction, when they will anchor to it, and the 
plowing from this time on must be in only one direc- 
tion." 

" I now discard my shovels, take a one-horse 
plow, and get a set of sweeps 12 inches wide for can- 
taloupes and one 12 inches wide for the center, and 
one 18 inches on each side for watermelons. The 
plow has a depth regulator enabling me to run the 
sweeps about one inch deep. The outside sweep 
will run partly under the vines and shove them to 

^ Indiana Horticultural Report for 1909. 



CULTURAL METHODS 45 

their place. As soon as the vines meet, I cut off the 
ends. I keep the sweeps running, bearing away 
from the row a little each time. The side vines will 
soon confine the plowing to once in the row. In 
this way, I am enabled to plow watermelons when 
they are getting ripe. 

" You will observe that I am not interfering with 
the feeders, as they are running through the ground 
as fast as the vine is spreading above it, but I am 
furnishing a dust mulch to retain moisture, which 
is usually very essential at this time of the year. 
I also avoid the expensive labor of laying the vines 
for the last plowing, which most growers do, which 
usually causes all of the little melons to fall off and 
checks the growth of the vines for a few days and, 
if it is dry, will permanently injure them. If the 
beans are ripe, they may be gathered, as they have 
served their purpose." 

By this method of cultivation, this man has raised 
four carloads of Monte Cristo watermelons from 
six acres, besides saving 500 pounds of seed. 



CHAPTER VIII 
HARVESTING AND MARKETING MELONS 

The time is fast approaching when the city buy- 
ers — and they are the ones upon whom the large 
commercial grower depends very largely for his 
profits — will demand a better quality in the melons 
they buy than they have been getting in the past ; 
and the grower who has so developed the fineness 
of flavor in his melons, as well as other good quali- 
ties, by selection and breeding, as to establish a 
reputation for furnishing a high-class melon to his 
customers, is the one who is going to capture the 
best markets in the land. 

It is a notable fact that our melon growers have 
not given enough attention to this side of the busi- 
ness. Most of their efforts seem to have been ex- 
pended in developing types or strains which suited 
their particular fancy or perhaps which their 
markets demanded, without giving any particular 
thought to the development of quality. Types and 
strains are good so far as they go, but would it not 
be possible for one to so improve the fineness of 
flavor at the same time that the average buyer 
would in time be able to associate a certain quality 
or flavor with a certain grower's type or strain? I 
am confident that the plant breeder of the future 
will be able to do this. In fact, there are a few men 
who have already made rapid strides in this direc- 
tion, and, unless I am greatly mistaken, the next 



HARVESTING AND MARKETING MELONS 



47 



decade will witness still greater progress along this 
line. (See Fig. lo.) 

The large commercial grower of to-day, who 
must ship his melons long distances, has but one 
thing in mind — that is, to get his melons into the 
market in good condition at the earliest possible 
moment. As a result, the early shipments are 
usually picked before they are ripe. Now, we all 
know that the melon, like most of our tree fruits. 




Fig. 10. A thoroughbred Rocky Ford. 

will develop a better flavor if left on the plant until 
ripe, but every melon shipper knows that he can- 
not do that if he expects to ship any great distance. 
They would be certain to decay before reaching their 
destination, consequently they must be picked be- 
fore they are ripe. But how long before — that is 
the question. The rule which holds good in picking 
winter apples will apply very Avell here; viz., the 



48 MELON CULTURE 

fruits should be mature, but not ripe. A fruit is 
mature when it has completed its growth ; it is ripe 
when it is ready to eat. The melon should be ma- 
ture when it is picked ; then it will usually be ripe 
when it reaches the market, although this will be 
governed largely by the distance they have to travel 
and temperature to which they are subjected while 
en route. 

Cantaloupes are generally shipped in refrigerator 
cars when going long distances, and so they could 
be left on the vines longer than many of them are, 
and consequently would develop a much better 
flavor than they now have. With our present trans- 
portation facilities, it is not an easy matter to be 
able to distinguish the right time for picking this 
fruit for shipping long distances. The expert can 
do it, and he does it in much the same way that the 
apple grower tells when to pick his winter apples — 
by their general appearance, or when the water- 
melon gives out just the right sound when thumped. 
But the amateur cannot do this, and so he must re- 
sort to Nature's method of picking — when the stem 
will separate readily from the melon. 

I think that most consumers will agree that the 
general tendency is for the southern grower, espe- 
cially, to pick his melons too early. This is especially 
true of cantaloupes. The temptation to get his 
melons on to the market before his competitors, is 
too great for most growers to withstand, and as a 
result we find that there is much complaint about 
the poor quality of the early melons. The only 
justification offered for doing this is the higher 
prices that these early shipments bring in the north- 
ern markets. And this criticism is not confined en- 



HARVESTING AND MARKETING MELONS 49 

tirely to the southern grower either. Human nature 
is pretty much the same everywhere, but the more 
northern grower finds his early markets pretty well 
occupied with melons from more southern districts, 
so the temptation is not so great in his case ; but 
even here we often find him picking and shipping 
before the melons are ready in order that he may 
get a few cents extra m price. All this, of course, 
has a tendency to depress the market price instead 
of stimulating it, just as filling the middle of the 




Fig. 11. Harvesting cantaloupes and hauling them to market. 

barrel with small inferior apples tends to demoral- 
ize the markets ; because, when the buyer tries to 
eat an unripe melon, he naturally becomes skepti- 
cal concerning the whole melon business, and turns 
his attention to some other kind of fruit with which 
he is more familiar. As a result of this short- 
sightedness on the part of growers, not one-half as 
many melons are consumed in our large cities as 
there would be if the grower would give more at- 
tention to getting them on to the market at the time 




50 



HARVESTING AND MARKETING MELONS 5 1 

when they will show the best quality, even at the 
sacrifice of a few days in time. 

What the great majority of our people want is a 
good melon, and if the first shipments to reach them 
have that good quality, that very fact will go a 
long ways towards selling future shipments at good 
prices. How often do we hear the northern house- 
wife say, after the first few attempts at having 
melons on the breakfast table, " Why is it that the 
shipped-in melons are so much poorer in quality 
than are those that are home grown?" The an- 
swer is easy. In the first case they were picked 
while green; and in the second they were allowed 
to ripen up on the vines. Then, too, if our growers 
would give more attention to the care of the melons 
after they are picked and until they are loaded into 
the car, there would not be so much danger of de- 
cay before they reach the consumer. For example, 
if one is so situated as to be able to have a cool 
building in which to store the melons until they are 
thoroughly cooled oflf, instead of simply a shed open 
on three sides which may furnish a partial shade 
but very little protection from the heat, he would 
be able to allow the melons to remain on the vines 
for a longer time and still get them into the market 
in a better condition than it is possible for him to 
do under the present system. 

But it may not be possible for every grower to 
have a cool storage building, but it is possible for 
him to improve on present methods. The up-to-date 
apple grower wishes to get his apples into a cool 
place, at least in the shade, just as quickly as possi- 
ble after they are picked in order that they may 
hold up longer. Melons need shade for the same 



52 MELON CULTURE 

reason.^ In fact, they should not be subjected to 
the direct rays of the sun after they are taken from 
the vines if they are to be shipped long distances. 
They should be covered while on their way from the 
field to the packing shed and kept in the shade until 
loaded for shipment. Instead of this, a common 
method employed, in harvesting cantaloupes espe- 
cially, is for the pickers to go over the fields with 
baskets, picking those which, in their opinion, are 
ripe enough for shipping (See Fig. ii.) They are 
then placed in crates at the ends of rows or along 
a driveway, where they remam in the hot sun until 
they are gathered up and loaded on to flat wagon 
beds and hauled to the packing shed, which often 
consists of a roof supported by posts, and which 
is large enough to hold several loads of melons and 
still leave room for making and storing crates. 
(See Fig. 12.) 

Packing As It Is Usually Done. — As the melons 
come from the field, they are loaded on to an incline 
table, the size of which will depend upon the size 
of the crop to be harvested, but it will usually hold 
several wagonloads. The packers stand at the lower 
side of this incline, and as the melons are unloaded 
they are carefully sorted and graded into sizes ac- 
cording to the style of package to be used. This 
work is done very rapidly by those who are accus- 
tomed to it, an expert very rarely picking up a 
melon the second time. His eye becomes so trained 
that a glance is all that is necessary to satisfy him 
as to the proper place for each particular melon. 
Each crate or basket holds the same number of 
melons of any given grade, and they are all as 
nearly the same size as it is possible to get them. 



HARVESTING AND MARKETING MELONS 53 

Style of Package. — The style of package will de- 
pend very largely upon the requirements of the 
markets to which they are going and the kind of 
melon which is being packed. Fig. 13 shows some 
packages in common use. The half-bushel climax 
basket is used quite largely by growers in the mid- 
dle West for the Netted Gem type. This holds 16 
melons of the Rocky Ford or Netted Gem, packed 
in two layers and two deep. It requires experience 
for a man to be able to pack these baskets properly 
and rapidly, as the bottom layer requires a slightly 
smaller melon than does the upper, and yet they 
must all fit in closely when the basket is filled so 
there will be no moving and consequent bruising as 
the baskets are handled. These baskets are very 
easily packed into the car, so that very little room 
is wasted. The smaller varieties, such as the Emer- 
ald Gem, are often packed in smaller baskets. This 
is especially true of the early shipments. 

It sometimes happens that, during a peculiarly 
favorable season for growth, the Rocky Ford type 
will become too large for the Climax basket, and so 
what is known as the Pony crate has come 
into use in some parts of the country. This will 
hold 12 melons of the larger size, and so takes care 
of those which could not be packed to advantage 
in the Climax baskets. In portions of the middle 
West, this crate has come intO' quite general use, 
as it is easily handled and packs well in the car. 
Other sections of the country demand a larger- 
sized crate, and some growers pack in barrels. This 
is especially true where the larger varieties like 
Tip Top, Montreal and Hackensack are grown. Many 
think, however, that these varieties are too large 



54 



MELON CULTURE 



and bulky for crating to advantage, costing too 
much for crate material, and as they will hold up 
very well when shipped loose in the car, many 
growers make a practice of crating only those of 
extra quality which are intended for the fancy trade. 
In fact, the same principle that is practiced by the 
up-to-date fruit grower will apply here. He finds 




Fig. 13. Some different styles of packages. 

that it will not pay him to use boxes for anything 
except it be a first-class article in every respect ; 
the expense is too great ; and so the medium grades 
of apples, for example, are packed in barrels or, in 
many instances, they are shipped in bulk, and the 
net returns are often nearly as great. So it is with 
melons. 



HARVESTING AND MARKETING MELONS ' 55 

Owing to the increased cost of basket and crate 
material, it will not pay to crate anything but first- 
class melons. All others should be shipped in bulk 
or in barrels, or sold at home for what they will 
bring. As fast as the baskets or crates are filled, 
they should be stamped with the name and grade of 
melon and also the name or initial and address of 
the grower. For example. Netted Gem, Select, 
Thomas Henry, or T. H., Rocky Ford, Col. This 
shows at once that the grower has faith in his 
melons, and that he is not afraid to let the con- 
sumer know where they came from. It also en- 
ables the consumer to come back for more of the 
same kind if he finds them up to the standard of 
excellence. 

A grower who cares anything for his reputation 
cannot afiford to place his name on anything but 
a first-class article. (See Fig. 14.) As soon as the 
crates are ready, they should be taken directly to 
the refrigerator cars and packed in as closely as 
possible, so as to prevent any shaking about while 
in transit. Ordinary cars will hold from 1,200 to 
1,400 Climax baskets, which would make from 
20,000 to 22,000 melons to the car of the Rocky 
Ford or Netted Gem type. 

Watermelons are nearly always shipped in bulk, 
loose in the car, and as about three times as many 
acres are devoted to the growing of watermelons 
in tile United States as are given to cantaloupes, 
it will be readily seen that the melon business as- 
sumes large proportions in the commercial life of 
this country and makes large demands upon the 
transportation facilities. In some of the prominent 
melon-growing states, the yield of watermelons per 




56 



HARVESTING AND MARKETING MELONS 57 

acre is given at from 800 to 1,200 marketable 
melons. This w^ill depend very much upon the sea- 
son, whether favorable or unfavorable, and also 
upon the soil, the kind and quantity of fertilizers 
used, as well as the care and cultivation given the 
plants. The net income depends not only upon the 
above considerations, but also upon the distance 
from market and the shipping facilities furnished 
by the railroads. For example, one of the southern 
states reports a larger yield per acre than does New 
Jersey, but the net income per acre is very much 
less, owing, doubtless, to the fact that the New 
Jersey growers are located close to one of the best 
markets in the country, and so are able to place 
their melons on the market at a comparatively small 
expense. A grower in the middle West says that a 
good acre of watermelons will produce about 800 
salable melons. It will require 1,200 to fill an aver- 
age car, and the price will average about $80 per 
carload. This is about 6^ cents each, which would 
give $52 per acre. Deducting $15 for rent and 
labor, would leave a net profit over all expenses of 
$2y. The same grower gives $56 per acre as the net 
income from cantaloupes during favorable seasons. 
Another grower says a carload of watermelons per 
acre can be easily produced with good care, which 
will bring from $70 to $90 per car, while under just 
ordinary care one-half that amount is all that can 
be expected. Occasionally $100 to $150 per acre 
is realized, but not often. So much depends upon 
the care exercised by the shipper in getting the crop 
properly distributed so as to avoid losses by glutting 
the market. 

Marketing. — Several methods are practiced by 



58 MELON CULTURE 

growers in disposing of their crops, each of which, 
doubtless, has its advantages, depending upon con- 
ditions. Some ship direct to commission houses, 
taking all the risk of fluctuations in the market 
themselves. Others sell direct to a regular buyer 
after the melons are loaded on to the cars. In sec- 
tions where melon growing assumes large propor- 
tions, as it does in certain parts of the country, 
where hundreds of acres are grown within a radius 
of a very few miles, it is quite common for the large 
commission houses to send their agents or repre- 
sentatives into the melon fields for the purpose of 
buying as many carloads as they may need to sup- 
ply their trade. 

These agents usually " camp on the field," where 
they can have a general knowledge of what is going 
on in the way of picking and packing and be able 
to take advantage of any unusual conditions which 
may arise. This method also helps the grower, be- 
cause he is kept constantly in touch with the latest 
markets ; and then, too, where several buyers are in 
the field there is always more or less competition, 
which has a tendency to keep prices up to a normal 
level. Then, too, when the car is loaded and ready 
for shipment, he receives his check, and so all worry 
concerning a glut in the market or, possibly, unfair 
treatment by his commission merchant, is avoided. 

In some sections the growers have formed them- 
selves into organizations similar to the large fruit 
associations of the Northwest for the purpose of 
securing certain advantages in the marketing of 
their products, as well as in the purchasing of sup- 
plies. In this case, the melons are all marketed 



HARVESTING AND MARKETING MELONS 59 

through the association, and the suppHes are bought 
in the same way at wholesale prices. 

The Extent of the Melon Business. — Few people 
realize the extent of the melon business in the 
United States as it is carried on today. The Thir- 
teenth Census statistics, 1910, relating to truck and 
market gardening crops are not available at this 
writing, hence it is impossible to give the exact 
acreage and yields of melons in the United States 
for the past year, but according to the census of 
1900, the acreage of muskmelons amounted to 60,- 
854, and that of watermelons was 199,849, making 
a total acreage of 260,703. It is safe to say that the 
total acreage has increased at least 10 per cent dur- 
ing the last decade, which would make the total 
area at present cultivated in melons in the United 
States 286,773 acres. 

The average yield of muskmelons ten years ago 
was 2,350 per acre, and that of watermelons was 
954. Assuming that the average yield has not de- 
creased any in the meantime, the crop of 1910 would 
be about as follows : 

Muskmelons 157,500,000 

Watermelons 209,500,000 

Total 367,000,000 

This will give, according to the following table, 
8,000 carloads of muskmelons and 200,000 carloads 
of watermelons as one season's crop in the United 
States, allowing 1,200 Climax baskets for an ordi- 
nary carload of muskmelons. 



Table Showing the Number of Watermelons Re- 
quired TO Load a Car of Different Lengths 
^Car 34 feet long loaded 4 deep contains: 
800 melons averaging about 35 lbs. 



850 
900 
950 
1,000 
1,050 
1,100 
1,150 
1,200 
1,250 
1,300 
1,350 
1,400 
1,450 
1,500 



32 
30 
28 
27 
26 
25 
24 
^2, 
22 
21 
20 

19 
18 

17 



Car T)6 feet long loaded 4 deep contains : 
850 melons averaging about 35 lbs. 
900 
950 

1,005 

1,060 

1,110 

1,165 
1,220 
1,275 
1,330 
1,380 
1,440 
1,485 
1,530 
1,610 
1,700 
* Bulletin No. 123 



32 
30 
28 

27 
26 

25 
24 

^Z 
22 
21 
20 

19 
18 

17 
16 

Indiana Experiment Station. 
60 



CHAPTER IX 
FORCING MELONS 

Forcing melons is a highly specialized branch of 
the melon business which is seldom practiced in this 
country, except by the rich, or near large cities 
where there is demand for unseasonable fruits and 
vegetables, which, of course, implies that there are 
people who are able and willing to pay the price. 
The expense involved in the proper equipment and 
care of the house and the necessity for great care 
in looking after all the details concerning the re- 
quirements of these crops, is much greater than is 
necessary for outdoor culture ; hence, the prices that 
must be received for the fruit must be correspond- 
ingly high, and this limits the market to compara- 
tively few buyers. And yet there is a field for this 
kind of work, just as there is a field for the forcing 
of tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce, which may also 
be classed as winter luxuries. 

The writer has had some experience in forcing 
melons, and from that experience he is able to give 
the following advice to anyone contemplating going 
into the forcing business. In the first place, it re- 
quires capital to build greenhouses and to keep 
them in repair; hence, one should have some money 
to start with. It also requires much experience in 
the management of greenhouses, and so one should 
not attempt it on his own account until he has 
served an apprenticeship in the bvisiness, and then 
only in a small way at first. It requires a good 



62 MELON CULTURE 

home market for the melons in order to avoid losses 
in shipment, commission charges, etc. Winter- 
grown melons must be regarded as a fancy product, 
grown only for a fancy market and selling for a 
fancy price. It requires a knowledge of the require- 
ments of these special crops ; so much depends upon 
the proper kind of soil, the amount and frequency 
of watering, and how applied, the proper tempera- 
ture both day and night, also ventilation and the 
ability of the grower to cope with the different in- 
sects and diseases which are commonly met with. 
The striped cucumber beetle out-of-doors is not in 
the same class with the Red Spider indoors after it 
once gets a good start. 

To be more specific, then, as to requirements, I 
quote from Bailey:^ "High temperature from the 
start (80° to 85° at midday, and 65° to 70° at 
night) ; the plants must never be checked, even from 
the moment the seeds germinate, either by insects, 
fungi, low temperature, or delay in 'handling;' 
dryness at time of ripening; a soil containing plenty 
of mineral elements, particularly, of course, potash 
and phosphoric acid; polliniferous varieties; the se- 
lection of varieties adapted to the purpose." 

If one can furnish all of these requirements, he 
may succeed in forcing muskmelons. Watermelons 
are seldom, if ever, grown in forcing houses. 

The Forcing House. — The house may be of any 
length which can be properly heated, depending 
upon the number of plants which it is desired to 
raise. A house that is suitable for tomatoes or cu- 
cumbers is good for melons. There should be plenty 
of space between the benches and glass for train- 

^ "The Forcino; Book." 



FORCING MELONS 63 

ine: up the vines similar to the method of training 
the cucumber. If an even span, the house should 
stand north and south, so that both sides may be 
equally exposed to the sunlight. If three-quarters 
span, it should stand east and west; the melon re- 
quires plenty of sunlight. The heating system 
should be of sufficient capacity to maintain a high 
and steady temperature during the coldest weather, 
and the pipes must be placed under the benches, so 
as to furnish bottom heat. 

The Soil. — A good melon soil must be made. This 
is done by taking an old blue grass sod, or some- 
thing similar, cut two or three inches thick, and 
piling this up with alternate layers of cow manure, 
until the pile is six or eight feet high. This is left 
for a year or more to rot, in the meantime forking 
it over once or tAvice, so as to get it as uniform as 
possible. This makes a good, rich, friable soil that 
will not need much more fertilizer to produce a 
good crop. 

Our experience has shown that subirrigation is 
much better for either melons or cucumbers than 
surface watering. So before putting the soil into 
the beds, the bottom of the beds are covered with 
soft bricks which have had the lower edges chipped 
off, so as to admit a circulation of water. These are 
placed as closely together as possible, and the bed 
is then filled with soil. Opening should be left at 
frequent intervals for the admission of water. This 
will admit plenty of moisture to the roots and pre- 
vent them from drying out, which is a very impor- 
tant point to remember in the forcing of melons, 
The soil should not be more than five or six inches deep. 

Planting the Seeds. — The seeds may be planted 



64 MELON CULTURE 

in four-inch pots and then transplanted into the soil 
later on, placing the plants about 2^^ feet apart. 
More seeds should be planted than are wanted to 
remain, in order to guard against accidents — thin- 
ning out the weaker ones later on, leaving only one 
in a hill. If the crop is wanted for the Christmas 
holidays, the seeds should be planted about the first 
of September; and for early spring, plant about the 
first to the middle of November. 

Training. — As soon as the plants have gotten a 
good start in the bench, the terminal bud is nipped 
out, so as to cause it to throw out laterals ; two or 
three is enough. These are then trained up to a 
wire or cord, and as soon as they reach the top, 
they are cut back. This will induce them to pro- 
duce fruitbuds. 

Fertilizing the Blossoms. — This is done by hand, 
as the male and female flowers are borne on differ- 
ent parts of the plant and there are no bees or other 
insects, and scarcely any wind to aid in the process 
of pollination. Hand pollination is done very 
rapidly by means of a piece of clean glass and 
camel's-hair brush, as explained on page 6. One 
should not be in a hurry to fertilize the blossoms 
until there are a number ready, so that the fruits 
on the same plant may ripen up together. We 
should remember that the most exhaustive process 
on the plant is the ripening of the seeds, hence if 
one melon is allowed to ripen long before the others, 
the later ones are likely to be checked in their 
growth and consequently will be of poor quality. 
Four or five melons to the vine are all it can ripen 
up properly, and some varieties will not carry more 
than two or three. 



FORCING MELONS 65 

Market. — As indicated above, the demand for 
winter melons will always be limited to a few rich 
people who are willing to pay almost any price for 
these luxuries. The grower should get from $i to 
$1.50 each for the crop in order to pay expenses. If 
he is growing them on a large scale in connection 
with cucumbers and tomatoes where the same heat- 
ing plant will do for all, he could probably afford to 
sell them for a little less. But in any case he should 
make his own market, and then endeavor to supply 
it with the best quality that can be produced. If 
he does that, the price will take care of itself. 

Varieties. — Following are some of the varieties 
which may be grown in frames or greenhouses with 
■good results : Blenheim Orange, Lord Beacons- 
field,. Royal Favorite, Red-fleshed Prescott, Delight 
of the Table, Trevoux, Noir des Carnes, Tours 
Sugar, Turner's Seedling, Ai Superb, Best of All, 
Diamond Jubilee, Invincible Scarlet, Hero of Lock- 
inge, Frogmore's Scarlet, Ne Plus Ultra. The 
Emerald Gem is about the only one of our out- 
door varieties which can be forced to advantage. 
This, with Blenheim Orange, Hero of Lockinge, 
Frogmore's Scarlet and Turner's Seedling, have 
given the best satisfaction ; but, like the outdoor 
varieties, they will all do well when given just the 
proper care. 

Insects. — There are but few species of insects 
which are troublesome to the melon plants in the 
greenhouse, but these few are enough to keep the 
grower busy if he would prevent injury to his vines 
and a consequent shortening of his crop. 

Red Spider (Tetranychus himaculatus) is one of 
the most troublesome species to be met with. This 



66 MELON CULTURE 

is one of the mites, consequently is very small and 
seldom noticed by the novice until his plants begin 
to show signs of trouble. About the only thing to 
be done for them is to keep the plants growing vig- 
orously and maintain a moist atmosphere in the 
houses at all times, until the fruits begin to mature. 
This will have a tendency to keep them down, as 
the mite thrives only in a dry atmosphere. One 
should not wait, therefore, until the mite appears 
but strive to prevent its getting a foothold if possi- 
ble, by frequent sprayings. 

White Fly (Aleyrodcs vaporariortim). — This little 
fly belongs to the sucking class of insects, and is 
often found in greenhouses both north and south, 
but it is more commonly found farther south. It 
somewhat resembles the aphis or plant lice, except 
it is covered by a white, powdery substance which 
makes it easily visible upon the green leaves. This 
may be easily reached by contact poisons such as 
kerosene emulsion or a solution of whale-oil soap. 

Aphis, sp. — Forcing melons are not exempt from 
the attacks of the green aphis, and these too, should 
be attacked as soon as they make their appearance, 
or even before. The same remedies that are recom- 
mended for the whitefly will prove effective for 
these. Frequent fumigation with tobacco stems will 
also destroy the lice as well as the fly. 

Mealy Bugs (Dactylopius sps.). — The mealy bug 
is so called from the fact that it is covered with a 
white powdery or waxy secretion. This material 
serves as a protection from the milder forms of in- 
secticides; but by constantly spraying the plants 
with water, using considerable force, they may be 
held in check. A tobacco decoction, using one 



FORCING MELONS d'] 

pound to one gallon of water, will often prove ef- 
fective, as will kerosene emulsion, i to 15. While 
the plants are young, the bugs may be picked off 
without much trouble. 

There are one or two fungous diseases which 
sometimes attack greenhouse melons ; one, a pow- 
dery mildew, which attacks the upper surface of 
the leaves ; the other is a canker, or " damping-off " 
fungus, which attacks the plants at or near the 
surface of the soil. The latter is aided by a contin- 
ued warm temperature and much moisture on the 
surface during the early stages of growth. If the 
roots are allowed to get dry, thus checking the 
growth of the plant, the disease will be more apt 
to show itself, and the plants will rot off at the sur- 
face of the soil. 

Subirrigation is one of the best preventives, as 
then the surface may be kept comparatively dry. 
Putting dry sand around the plants will also help. 
Burning sulphur in pans or on the steam pipes occa- 
sionally will have a tendency to keep down the 
mildew. We have tried all of these remedies with 
good results. It must be remembered, however, that 
in dealing with these diseases " an ounce of pre- 
vention is worth several pounds of cure," and so 
the person engaged in forcing melons must be con- 
stantly on the watch for trouble and strive to 
forestall it if possible. 



CHAPTER X 
INSECTS AND DISEASES 

There is scarcely a vegetable crop grown which 
is more susceptible to the attacks of insects and dis- 
eases than are those plants which belong to the Cu- 
curbitacege family, to which belong the melon, 
cucumber, squash, etc. Some of these pests are 
common to all, while others confine their attacks, for 
the most part, to one species. 

The plants are attacked at all stages, even the 
seeds are often attacked before germination by a 
maggot which eats into them, thus destroying the 
germ ; and by mice and ground squirrels, which de- 
vour them. And so from the time the seeds are 
placed in the ground until the fruit is harvested one 
is compelled to keep a watchful eye upon them in 
order to prevent injury from some one or more of 
the two dozen or more species of insects and dis- 
eases which are common to this family. 

INSECTS 

Among the insects which are common to the 
melon and cucumber probably none are more uni- 
versally scattered over the melon-growing region, 
and, possibly, none are more dreaded by the melon 
and cucumber growers, than is the 

Striped Cucumber Beetle (Diabrotica vittata, 
Fab.). — This little beetle is so generally known that 
a detailed description of it here is scarcely necessary. 



INSECTS AND DISEASES 69 

and yet there may be a few people who are not ac- 
quainted with it. The adult beetle is about two- 
fifths of an inch in length, yellow in color, with 
black head, and black longitudinal stripes on the 
wings and thorax. The larva is a slender wormlike 
creature, nearly white, except each end, which is 
brown. When fully grown it measures about one- 
third of an inch in length. 

The adult beetle hibernates under various kinds 
of rubbish, such as dead grass, leaves, etc. As soon 
as warm weather comes it comes forth and feeds 
upon any or all kinds of cucurbit vines, usually pre- 
ferring the squash, but does not limit its diet 
entirely to the cucurbit family. Its omnivorous 
feeding habits make it possible for it to come forth 
from its winter quarters some time before the cu- 
curbits are planted and still find suitable plants on 
which to feed. As soon, however, as the melon or 
cucumber plants are above ground, the beetles begin 
to call in their forces and begin a general attack on 
these plants, and if the grower is not watching for 
them, they will often destroy a large portion of the 
plants in a single day or night. 

The injury to the plants is done by eating into 
the stems, usually below the ground, where they 
hide during the hot portion of the day, and also by 
eating the leaves, which soon causes them to turn 
brown and dry up. The eggs are deposited upon 
the stems just below the surface, and as soon as 
hatched the young larvae bore into the main roots, 
which causes the plants to wilt and die. Thus this 
insect works upon the plant, as it were, from both 
ends, or, more properly, both above and below 
ground. This active stage lasts for about a month. 



70 MELON CULTURE 

during which time if nothing is done to prevent it, 
the plants are usually entirely destroyed. 

Remedies. — Many remedies have been recom- 
mended and tried with more or less success, none, 
however, working entirely satisfactorily, except 
possibly the fencing-out method. In some cases a 
free use of tobacco dust placed around the stems as 
soon as the beetles make their appearance acts as a 
deterrent. Some have advocated soaking corn cobs 
in kerosene oil and then placing them near the 
plants, but others say that they have made a pen 
around the hill with oil-soaked cobs and the beetles 
would eat the plants and then crawl under the cobs 
for protection from the sun. Air-slaked lime is 
sometimes dusted over the plants ; this simply 
serves to drive the beetles to other fields or other 
portions of the same field. Road dust, land plaster, 
or ashes serve the same purpose. Applications of 
london purple, paris green or lead arsenate mixed 
with bordeaux mixture are used with some degree 
of success, but applications should be frequent, as 
new growth is constantly pushing out, and this must 
be kept covered. The bordeaux mixture is used in 
this case for the purpose of making the arsenicals 
stick to the plant, but its greatest use is as a fungi- 
cide in protecting the plant from its numerous dis- 
eases. 

Various kinds of coverings for the plants have 
been used with more or less success. One of these 
which has given satisfaction was invented by an 
Indiana grower, who now uses it to the exclusion of 
everything else. This he calls a " dome screen." 
(See Fig. 15.) It is made of common wire screen 
pressed into a dome shape, about six or seven inches 



INSECTS AND DISEASES 



71 



in diameter at the bottom, and costs from three to 
four cents apiece. It is first dipped into white 
paint and then placed over the hill when the seed is 
planted, and it serves the following purposes : Mark- 
ing the rows, so that they can be easily seen 
throughout their entire length, whether the plants 
are up or not; protecting the seed from the field 
mice ; protecting the plants from the striped beetle ; 
and protecting the plants from hail. It is claimed 
that they will last for ten years. When the plants 




Fig. 15. 



A handy screen for fencing out the 
striped beetle. 



are large enough to fill all the space, the cups are 
then taken off, nested together and stored away for 
the next season. 

Early Planting is one of the best protections that 
can be given, as it enables the plants to get well 
started before being exposed to the attacks of these 
insects. Where the plants are started in hotbeds 
or cold frames, they have already gotten a good 
start and are practically able to care for themselves 
when they are put out in the open ground. 

Trap Crops are sometimes used to good advantage. 
This beetle is especially fond of squash plants ; and 



72 MELON CULTURE 

SO scattering hills of these may be planted as early 
as possible, so that they will have attained a fairly 
good growth before the beetles make their appear- 
ance. After they have accumulated in large num- 
bers on these hills the whole thing may be sprayed 
with kerosene oil. Occasional plants left in the 
field until late in the season, after everything else 
has been cleared away and burned, will give oppor- 
tunity for the beetles to hibernate under them, when 
they may be soaked in kerosene and burned. Stim- 
ulating the plants to make an early and vigorous 
growth by the use of commercial fertilizers will 
often aid the plants in overcoming the insect 
attacks. 

The Twelve-Spotted Cucumber Beetle (Diabrot- 
ica i2-punctata). — This species is almost as com- 
mon as its striped relative, and during some seasons 
it is nearly as troublesome to melons and its allied 
plants. It is somewhat larger than the other, more 
oval in shape and instead of striped markings, this 
one has 12 black spots on the wing covers. This 
insect feeds in the same way as the other, only it 
has a somewhat larger variety of food plants, which 
makes it somewhat less troublesome to the melon. 
There are two broods in a season, the beetles hiber- 
nating in the adult stage. 

Remedies. — The same remedies apply here as were 
recommended for the previous species, but clean cul- 
ture should be emphasized. 

The Melon Aphis (Aphis Gossypii, Glov.). — This 
is perhaps the most difficult melon insect to manage 
during the seasons which are favorable to its devel- 
opment. It has a great variety of food plants, in- 
cluding many of our common weeds, as well as the 



INSECTS AND DISEASES 73 

cucurbits, strawberry, cotton, etc. This fact enables 
it to thrive over a wide range of territory and dur- 
ing ahnost any and all seasons. Like most of the 
aphids, however, it has its parasites to contend 
with, so that it is rarely abundant in all parts of the 
country every season. Like most of the plant lice, 
it passes the winter in the egg stage on a variety of 
plants. These eggs hatch in early spring, and a 
succession of summer broods is given off until fall, 
when another crop of eggs is produced. The early 
broods are capable of getting their food from what- 
ever kind of plant they happen to be on, but as the 
melon plants come on, winged forms are produced, 
which enable them to migrate to the melon fields, 
where they often settle in great numbers and con- 
tinue to breed as long as the melon plants furnish 
succulent food. After the melon plants have passed 
their usefulness, the lice then migrate to other 
plants. 

Like all members of this class of insects, these 
lice are provided with a sharp beak, through which 
they take their food in liquid form by inserting it 
into the tissues of the leaves, thus causing them to 
curl up and eventually die. This, of course, inter- 
feres, more or less, with the complete development 
of the fruit, so that oftentimes the later fruits are 
entirely worthless. 

Remedies. — First of all, the grower must familiar- 
ize himself with the insect and its work before he 
can do much towards holding it in check. If he is 
acquainted with plant lice in general, he will have 
no trouble in identifying this, as in general appear- 
ance it resembles the other forms. The first indica- 
tion of its presence in the melon field will be made 



74 MELON CULTURE 

manifest by the curling tip of the leaves into a cup- 
shaped mass. This is caused by the irritation pro- 
duced by the insertion of the tiny beaks and the 
sucking of the juices from that side of the leaf. This 
cup also forms a protection to the insects and makes 
it very difficult to hit them with any form of spray 
mixture. Then, too, as the vines grow so close to 
the ground, and as the lice are on the underside of 
the leaves, it is necessary to spray from the under- 
side in order to reach them. This may be done in 
a small way by using kerosene emulsion, with a bent 
nozzle; but it would be practically useless to at- 
tempt this in large fields. 

And so the commercial grower is really limited 
to two methods of procedure: First, clean culture 
of the entire field, so as to destroy its early and late 
food plants, as well as to destroy its hibernating 
quarters ; second, he should dig a hole and bury the 
infested plant just as soon as the lice make their 
appearance. Nature often does much towards 
holding these insects in check through the parasitic 
species which prey upon them in great numbers. In 
fact, if it were not for these natural parasites, the 
lice would soon put the melon grower out of busi- 
ness. 

Squash Bug (Anasa tristis, De G.). — In some sec- 
tions of the country this is one of the worst pests 
the melon grower has to contend with. The squash 
is its favorite food plant, but it also attacks the 
muskmelon, watermelon, and cucumber. It appears 
quite early in the season, soon after the melon 
plants are up, and multiplies quite rapidly. The 
adult is one-half to three-fourths of an inch long, of 
a grayish brown color, and belongs to the sucking 



INSECTS AND DISEASES 75 

class, or true bugs. It often goes by the name of 
stink bug, on account of the very offensive odor 
which is given off when disturbed. The eggs are a 
golden brown color and are laid in clusters on the 
underside of the leaves, where they soon hatch into 
little active bugs, differing from the adults in size, 
color, and in the absence of wings. They suck their 
food from the leaves, causing them to dry up and 
die. This, of course, has the same effect upon the 
plant as does the melon aphis, only the leaves do not 
curl up as in the latter case. 

Remedies. — Like most of the sucking insects, it 
is very difficult to control, especially if it has gotten 
a good start before it is discovered. Contact poi- 
sons are the only ones recommended in this case. 
Spraying with kerosene emulsion is often practiced 
with good results early in the season. In a small 
way, the old bugs may be picked off and destroyed 
as soon as they make their appearance, thus pre- 
venting many future generations of young bugs. 
The bright clusters of eggs are quite conspicuous 
and easily seen on the underside of the leaves. 
These should be picked off and destroyed. Then, 
too, the same trap remedy recommended for the 
striped cucumber beetle will apply here; viz., plant 
early hills of squashes here and there in the melon 
field, and when the bugs have collected on them, 
spray with pure kerosene oil. 

The Squash Lady-bird (Epilachna horealis, Fab.). 
— We usually look upon the members of the " lady- 
bird " or " lady-bug " family as our friends, as the 
greater number of species are predacious in their 
feeding habits, living upon other insects of various 
species, but especially the plant lice, thereby assist- 



76 MELON CULTURE 

ing very greatly in holding these pests in check. 
Occasionally, however, we find an exception to the 
rule, and so we find the above species feeding upon 
the melon, cucumber, etc., and often becoming quite 
injurious, especially in the eastern states along the 
Atlantic coast. In many parts of the West it is not 
known as a melon insect. The species belonging to 
this genus are quite large, of the characteristic hem- 
ispherical form, yellowish in color, with black spots. 

The larvse are also yellow and covered with 
spines. Both adult and larva feed upon the melon 
leaves by first marking out a circular space, within 
which it feeds until all of the edible portion has 
been devoured, when it moves to another position 
and repeats the process. As the larvse usually feed 
on the lower surface of the leaf, they are more diffi- 
cult to reach with poisonous sprays than are the 
adults. However, as they chew their food instead 
of sucking, as does the melon aphis, it is only neces- 
sary to place the poison where they will get it dur- 
ing the process of eating. The adult hibernates un- 
der various kinds of rubbish ; hence, in localities 
where it is commonly found, it may be destroyed by 
cleaning up and burning the dead plants and other 
rubbish. By using the dome screen, which is men- 
tioned vmder the striped cucumber beetle, the early 
attacks of this beetle can be avoided. 

The Pickle Worm (Diaphania nitidalis. Cram.). — 
The adult of this species is a beautifully colored, 
brown and yellow moth, sometimes called the 
" pickle moth," because the larva has a habit of 
feeding on the cucumber, both vine and fruit. It 
rarely does much injury in the more northern states, 
although it is sometimes found as far north as 



INSECTS AND DISEASES 77 

Michigan and New York. In the southern and 
western states it ofren becomes very troublesome 
both to the pickle and melon grower, especially to 
the cantaloupe grower. .The larvae first attack the 
plants by eating holes in the leaves and young 
stems, later attacking the blossom buds, destroying 
many young fruits in this way, and then later on 
attacking the growing fruit by eating holes through 
the rind, enough to render it worthless, and then 
passing on to others, treating them in the same way. 
The southern grower, who is raising cantaloupes 
for the northern market often suffers heavy loss 
from the attacks of this insect. 

Remedies. — So far as known to the writer, no suc- 
cessful remedy for this insect has ever been discov- 
ered, although a free use of the arsenical sprays, 
such as are used against the striped beetle and other 
leaf-eating insects, may be expected to give some 
relief. Rotation of crops and other up-to-date 
methods of farming are also recommended. Fall 
plowing the melon field is also a good practice, es- 
pecially in the more northern and middle states. 

The Melon Caterpillar (Diaphania hyalinata, 
Linn.). — This species is closely related to the pickle 
moth, and they resemble each other in many re- 
spects in both the adult and larval stages. In this 
case, however, the larva confines its attacks mostly 
to the foliage of the muskmelon, especially during 
the early part of the season. It is confined almost 
exclusively to the southern states. 

Remedy. — As it begins its attacks on the foliage, 
it may be easily held in check by spraying with one 
of the arsenical compounds. 



78 MELON CULTURE 

Grasshoppers. — In some sections of the West, the 
grasshoppers often become quite troublesome, es- 
pecially in the watermelon fields. They are difficult 
to manage; they, of course, chew the leaves and 
young stems, and so some good may be accom- 
plished by spraying with arsenate of lead, using two 
pounds to 50 gallons of water. Grasshoppers, like 
cutworms, are fond of sweetened bran, and therefore 
much may be done towards destroying them by thor- 
oughly mixing one or two pounds of paris green 
and 40 or 50 pounds of wheat bran together and 
moistening with just sufficient water to dampen the 
whole rnass ; then add to this two pounds of sugar 
and mix thoroughly. A teaspoonful of this mixture 
placed near the vines will accomplish the work. 

Mice and Gophers or Ground Squirrels. — These 
little animals are often very troublesome in the 
melon fields by digging out and eating the melon 
seeds after they have been planted. They often de- 
stroy the young plants after they are up. The poi- 
soned bran recommended for grasshoppers will often 
have a good effect upon these. Good results have 
been obtained by soaking melon, squash or pumpkin 
seeds overnight in a strong solution of arsenic and 
then scattering them about the hills. Poisoned 
wheat is also recommended. 

There are a few more species of insects which are 
more or less troublesome to melons which are 
grown in the greenhouse. A discussion of these 
will be found under the head of " Forcing melons." 

I desire here to emphasize the fact that in dealing 
with nearly, if not all, of the various melon insects, 
much may be done towards holding them in check 
by a careful, clean system of farming. We have 



INSECTS AND DISEASES 79 

seen that some of the most destructive species pass 
tlie early and late seasons in feeding on weeds or 
other plants. Destroy these by clean cultivation. 
Then the most of them pass the winter under vari- 
ous kinds of rubbish. Clean up and burn all har- 
boring" material of that kind, and so destroy their 
winter quarters. Then, too, if melon growers would 
practice a regular three or four-year rotation of 
crops, much of this insect trouble could be avoided. 

DISEASES 

Bacterial Wilt (Bacillus tracheiphilus. Smith). — 
There is probably no disease attacking the cucurbi- 
taceous plants which has spread over so wide a ter- 
ritory in the last few years and which has so baf- 
fled the scientists in their efforts to find a means 
for its control as this. It was discovered in 1893 by 
Dr. Erwin F. Smith of the department of agricul- 
ture, attacking cucumbers and muskmelons, and 
since that time much thought and labor have been 
expended in trying to find a practical remedy or 
means of preventing the disease. Up to the present 
time, however, it may be classed with the pear 
blight in this respect. Dr. Smith has proved very 
conclusively, however, that the disease is due to a 
specific bacterial organism, and that it is conveyed 
from diseased to healthy plants by means of the 
striped cucumber beetle (Diabrotica vittata), and he 
is also of the opinion that it is communicated by the 
squash bug (Anasa tristis). 

The disease may make its appearance at almost 
any time during the summer and spread more or less 
rapidly as favorable or unfavorable conditions seem 




80 



INSECTS AND DISEASES 8l 

to prevail. It is not very probable that the germs 
are carried over in the soil from one season to the 
next, as the writer has seen fields of cantaloupes 
entirely destroyed by this disease which were 
planted on soil which had not grown a crop of can- 
taloupes for twenty years. Most melon growers 
are familiar with the characteristic appearance of 
the disease. As soon as the germs enter the leaf 
or leaf stem, they multiply very rapidly, until the 
circulation of sap is cut off by clogging of the water 
ducts, when that portion of the leaf beyond the 
point of attack wilts and dies. As stated above, it 
has been clearly demonstrated that the disease may 
be spread by means of the striped cucumber beetle, 
and possibly others. Destruction of the leaf-eating 
insects, therefore, is the treatment recommended. 
Fig. i6 shows the effects of this disease in a field 
of Tip Top melons. 

Bacterial Soft Rot of Muskmelons (Bacillus 
Melonis, Giddings). — Bulletin 148 by N. J. Giddings, 
Vermont experiment station, treats of a new species 
of bacillus which attacks the muskmelon, producing 
a soft rot similar to that of other vegetables, but the 
organisms differ from the soft rot type — Bacillus 
caratovorus. Wound inoculations in the muskmelon 
generally gave a complete decay in from three to 
seven days, but those made upon the broken skin 
produced no effect whatever. These experiments 
show that the disease is capable of being communi- 
cated to a variety of plants through cracks or 
wounds, but the muskmelon seems to be its favorite 
host plant. 

• As this is liable to become a troublesome disease 
in other portions of the country, I quote from the 



82 MELON CULTURE 

bulletin a few sentences concerning- remedial meas- 
ures recommended, " Of course any remedial 
measures must aim at prevention rather than cure, 
and must, therefore, be taken before the disease be- 
comes widespread. Spraying- with bordeaux mix- 
ture is to be commended as a general preventive of 
this and related melon diseases. Supporting the 
melons on stones or otherwise to keep them from 
contact with the soil, and occasional turning, will 
doubtless give better results than can be secured 
in any other way. AVhenever practicable, irrigation 
should be practiced in a dry time, to insure uniform 
and continuous growth and to avoid cracking of the 
fruit. Diseased melons in a field should be imme- 
diately removed and destroyed, and the crop should 
be carefully watched for the first appearance of the 
rot, in order to keep the organisms from the field as 
much as possible, since the disease may readily be 
carried from one melon to another by insects. A 
field in which the rot has been seriously prevalent 
should not be used the next season for the growth of 
melons. An interval of at least three years should 
intervene between melon crops in such cases. Rot- 
ting melons should not be thrown on the compost 
heap, or be fed to stock ; or else, in case this is done, 
compost or manure from such animals should not be 
used on melon fields. 

" It is probable that little trouble will be experi- 
enced during a season which is continuously dry. If, 
however, the entire season is tmusually wet, or if 
heavy rains follow a dry period, the danger is in- 
creased. Under such conditions, especial care 
should be exercised in spraying with bordeaux mix- 
ture and in so supporting and turning the melons 



INSECTS AND DISEASES 83 

as to keep all sides exposed to light and air as much 
as possible. The disease, once started in a \Yet 
field where no such precautions are taken, spreads 
very rapidly, and a melon once infected is lost." 

Rust or Blight (Alternaria, sp. Peglion). — The first 
m.an to prove that this disease of the cucumber and 
muskmelon was due to this fungus was Peglion in 
Italy. About the same time Dr. Erwin F. Smith, 
of the department of a,griculture, worked out the 
same thing and came to practically the same con- 
clusions, but owing to difficulty in finding the per- 
fect form of the fungus, but little has ever been 
published on the subject in this country. Next to 
the bacterial wilt, it is one of the most serious dis- 
eases with which the cantaloupe grower has to con- 
tend, as, unless the proper remedies are applied, it 
will often destroy whole fields of melons in a short 
time. 

The disease first shows itself in the form of little 
brown spots on the leaves, and as the disease pro- 
gresses these spots continue to grow, until they 
finally run together, and the whole leaf becomes 
brown and dry. Like most diseases of this nature, a 
warm, damp atmosphere is very favorable to the 
germination of the spores, so during a rainy season 
the disease is usually much more prevalent than 
during a dry season. We find, too, that if a melon 
field is somewhat rolling, so that portions of the 
field are higher than others, those plants on the 
high places are much more exempt from the disease 
than are those on the low ground, as there is a bet- 
ter circulation of air oh the high places, and the 
plants dry off quicker after a rain or heavy dew. 

In some seasons, this disease will make its ap- 



84 



MELON CULTURE 



pearance early when, if the proper remedies are not 
applied at once, the entire crop is destroyed. At 
other times much of the fruit will have nearly 
reached maturity before the disease shows itself, 
when it may ripen, and appear to be in good condi- 
tion, but upon testing it, it will be found to be in- 
sipid and of very poor quality. Such melons are 
often put upon the market, which is a very ques- 











Fig. 17. A field of melons destroyed by the rust. 



tionable proceeding, to say the least. Fig. 17 shows 
the effect of this disease. 

As this is strictly a fungous disease, it is easier 
to control than are those of a bacterial nature. Ex- 
periments have shown that by spraying the vines 
several times during the season with bordeaux mix- 
ture, the vines may be kept practically free from the 
disease. A 4-6-50 mixture, applied four times at in- 
tervals of a week or ten days, will usually keep the 



INSECTS AND DISEASES 



85 



leaves clean and healthy. The time of the first 
spraying will depend somewhat upon the charac- 
ter of the season, but it should be made as soon as 
the first indications of the disease show themselves. 
Keep in mind the fact that it is easier to prevent a 
fungous disease than to cure it. On a small scale 
a hand spray pump may be used, but for a number 




Fig. 18. The rust may be held in check by spraying with the 
bordeaux mixture. 



of acres, a barrel pump, mounted on wheels, or a 
pump with a row attachment, such as is used for 
spraying potatoes, will give good satisfaction. Fig. 
18 shows a field that was sprayed with bordeaux 
mixture. 

Fusarium Wilt (Neocosmospora vasinfecta, E. F. 
Smith). — This disease is to the watermelon what 
the bacterial wilt is to the muskmelon. Of recent 



86 MELON CULTURE 

discovery, it has spread over a wide territory and 
has made its presence known in more than one Ava- 
termelon field. As it is supposed to have several 
host plants, namely, watermelon, cotton, and cow- 
pea, it is capable of being spread wherever any of 
these plants are grown, and that means over the 
greater portion of the United States. Ten years 
ago it was confined to a somewhat limited area, so 
far as its effect upon the watermelon crop was con- 
cerned, but now it is found spread over a large por- 
tion of the melon-growing territory in the middle 
West and southern states. 

It is not especially influenced one way or the other 
by climatic changes. In fact, it seems to thrive as 
well in a winter temperature of 15 or 20 degrees be- 
low zero as it does in localities where the tempera- 
ture scarcely ever reaches the freezing point. The 
fungus remains in the soil for an indefinite period, 
and is ready to germinate and grow whenever the 
proper host plant presents itself and the weather 
conditions are favorable. 

The effect on the watermelon is similar to that of 
the bacterial wilt on the muskmelon — a wilting of 
the leaves and drying up of the entire plant, as 
though the water supply had been suddenly cut off. 
And, indeed, this is just what happens, as the fun- 
gus finds an entrance into the plant through the 
root system, and as it develops it clogs up the ducts, 
thus preventing the moisture, which is taken up by 
the roots, from reaching the foliage. This can be 
readily seen by examining a cross-section of the 
stem near the roots under a microscope The in- 
fected part will also show a dark discoloration not 
found in a healthy plant. 



INSECTS AND DISEASES 



87 



A careful study of this disease in dififerent por- 
tions of the country seems to indicate that a long 
rotation of crops, extending over five or six years, 
will assist very greatly in keeping down the dis- 
ease, as the germs are carried over from year to year 




Fig. 19. A rust-resistant Rocky Ford; note the fine netting. 

in the soil. In no case should watermelons follow 
watermelons two years in succession. Then, too, 
all diseased Vines should be burned and all infected 
fruit be disposed of in some place where the land 
will not be used for growing melons. 

Disease-Resistant Plants. — If we go into a melon 
field where this disease is quite prevalent, we will 
usually find here and there plants which are per- 



88 



MELON CULTURE 



fectly healthy and which apparently have the power 
to resist or to throw off the disease. In fact, some 
varieties seem to have that inherent quality, which 
enables them to escape the disease, while others 
in the same field succumb to it. This fact enables 
the plant breeder to make his selections of fruits 
for seed from these apparently immune plants, and 
so, after a time, to produce a disease-resistant strain. 




Fig. 20. A well-sprayed melon vine. 



(Fig. 19.) Let it be understood, however, that a 
disease-resistant strain which has been developed 
in one section: "of, ithe country will not necessarily 
remain resistant. when grown in some other locality 
under very different climatic conditions. The tend- 
ency, however, is for it to become resistant under 
its new environments much quicker and more easily 
than if it had never developed that quality. 

Experiments have proven that a resistant variety 



INSECTS AND DISEASES 89 

in Colorado, brought to the moister climate of the 
Ohio valley, developed the old tendency to disease 
again, but by careful selection after the second or 
third generation, under its new environment, it 
again became as resistant as before. And so, with 
only our present knowledge of these fungous and 
wilt diseases to guide us, it would seem that the 
only satisfactory remedies which may be safely 
recommended are a long rotation of crops and care- 
ful selection and breeding of varieties which are im- 
mune to the disease. 

There are a few other diseases which are more or 
less common on cucurbitaceous plants and which 
affect the melon with the others, such as the 

Scab (Cladosporiurn cucmHerinum, Ell. & Arth.). — 
On melons it produces small, sunken spots, mostly 
on the fruit, but sometimes on the stems. It is 
mostly present during very wet weather. 

Anthracnose (Colletotrichwn lagenarium, Pass.). — 
This disease affects both fruit and leaves, produc- 
ing brown spots on the leaves and small sunken 
spots which cause the fruit to rot. 

Downy Mildew (Plasmopara cuhensis, B. & C.).-^ 
Most common on cucumbers, but it affects all kinds 
of cucurbits. A full account of this disease may be 
found in Bulletin No. 119, New York Experiment 
Station. (Fig. 20.) 



CHAPTER XI 
LIST OF VARIETIES 

The following alphabetical list includes most of 
the varieties commonly grown in the different sec- 
tions of the United States. There may be some 
more or less local varieties which have been over- 
looked. There are also numerous strains of the 
different varieties of both muskmelons and water- 
melons, which are more or less local in character; 




Fig. 21. The Rocky Ford is a favorite variety with most growers. 
90 



LIST OF VARIETIES 



91 



in fact, it often happens that a grower will have 
some particular strain which he has developed by a 
long" process of selection and which is peculiarly 
adapted to his soil and situation, and he regards it 
as superior to the original variety, and that is often 
true. (See Fig. 21.) Such strains, however, often 
prove disappointing when the seed is carried to 




Fig. 22. A trio of Tip Tops from the Ohio valley. 



other localities and planted in different soils and 
grown under different climatic conditions. 

Varieties have their preferences as to soil and 
climate; hence it often happens that one variety 
will prove valuable in one locality and very undesir- 
able in another. Hence, the necessity for the large 
number of varieties which we now have in the 
United States. For example, in one of the large 
melon districts of the middle West, the Rocky Ford 



92 MELON CULTURE 

type of cantaloupe, which can be shipped in crates 
and baskets, is very popular and almost universally 
grown, while in another section of the same state, 
the Tip Top, a larger, rougher melon, is grown, and 
these can be easily shipped in bulk, like water- 
melons. (Fig. 22.) To be sure, the market plays 
an important part when it comes to the selection of 
varieties of melons, as it does in the selection of 
varieties of fruits ; hence, before going into the busi- 
ness on a large scale, it is always best to ascertain, 
either by experience or observation, which varieties 
are best suited to meet the existing conditions. 

But we will find this to be true among melons as 
well as among fruits, that there are a few varieties 
which may be depended upon under almost any 
conditions — such as the Emerald Gem and Rocky 
Ford muskmelons, and the Kolb's Gem and Georgia 
Rattlesnake watermelons. 

In the following list a brief description is given 
of each variety for the benefit of those whose 
knowledge of varieties may be somewhat limited. 

LIST OF VARIETIES 

MUSKMELONS 

Acme. — Fruits medium size, oval in form, with a slight neck at 
the stem end ; well ribbed and heavily netted ; skin a 
golden color when ripe ; flesh firm and of good quality. 

Admiral Togo. — Fruit medium in size; flesh orange and very 
meaty, leaving a very small seed cavity. Quality fine. 

Arlington Nutmeg. — A favorite in the Boston market on ac- 
count of its fine flavor; flesh green and ripens early. 

Baltimore Market. — Oblong in shape, flesh orange, of fine 
flavor; midseason. 

Banana. — This name comes from the fact that the fruit is long 
and slender, with a banana-like aroma when ripe. The 
salmon-colored flesh is quite thick and firm, and is thought 



LIST OF VARIETIES 93 

by many people to be of excellent flavor, although most 
people would prefer the Rocky Ford or Emerald Gem. 

Banquet. — Fruits are well netted, medium size; flesh salmon 
color and of excellent quality. 

Bay View. — Fruit long, often a foot or more, oblong, quite 
heavily ribbed and netted, good quality and fine for home 
use. 

Burr ell's Gem. — Fruit oval in shape and of fairly good size* 
flesh an orange color, and has a very agreeable, spicy 
flavor. 

Cassaba. — Fruit large; flesh green and of good quality. One 
of the largest muskmelons grown. 

Champion Market. — Fruit resembles the Netted Gem, except 
that this is much larger; the flesh is green and of fine 
quality and a good shipper. Ripens early. 

Chicago Market. — This is one of the larger types of uniform 
size; skin thickly netted; seed cavity quite small; flesh 
green, of fine flavor ; ripens early, but is a good keeper. 

Cosmopolitan. — "It is said to combine the firm, sweet flesh of 
the French cantaloupe with the delicious flavor of the 
American muskmelon." A very handsome, green-flesh 
fruit, slightly oval, without ribs'. Color, light green, but 
at maturity it is covered with a dense silver-gray netting. 

Defender. — This is one of the best of the yellow-flesh varie- 
ties, of medium size, oval in shape; flesh firm and rich. 
Vines vigorous and productive. Needs plenty of room. 

Early Christiana. — Fruit yellow-fleshed, very rich and juicy. 

Early Citron. — An early, flattened sort; flesh green and of fair 
quality. 

Early Hackensack. — Much the same as Hackensack, but ripens 
about ten days earlier. A strain of the old variety. 

Emerald Gem. — Fruit small, round, dark green ; orange-colored 
flesh and very sweet; one of the best for home use and 
near-by market. 

Fordhook. — Fruit medium in size; flesh thick, orange-yellow 
color, of the highest flavor when well grown. A good 
shipper in baskets or crates. 

Garden Lemon. — Or Lemon Cucumber ; fruits nearly round, 
yellow ground with green markings ; a smooth skin ; flesh 
very tender, and has a sweet, melon flavor. It is princi- 
pally used for flavoring. Does not belong with the garden 
melon, botanically speaking. 

Golden Jenny. — A small, very early variety ; a good shipper ; 
said to be an improvement on the Jenny Lind. 

Hackensack. — This is one of the old, popular varieties, largely 



94 MELON CULTURE 

grown in certain sections. The fruit is large, nearly round 
and of good quality. 

Honey Drop. — Fruit round, somewhat flattened at the ends; of 
good size; flesh thick, sweet and melting; a deep orange 
color ; ripens very early. 

Hoodoo. — A popular variety in the Chicago market, where it 
brings the highest prices on account of its high quality. It 
is about the size of the Rocky Ford, but more round; flesh 
deep orange, with a small seed cavity. 

Jenny Lind. — This is a small green-fleshed variety of fine qual- 
ity and ripening very early. 

Jersey Belle. — It is not so early, but much like Jenny Lind. 
Fruits flattened at the ends, with heavy ribs and coarsely 
netted. Flesh, green and good. 

Kinsman's Queen. — Similar to Emerald Gem in shape and 
quality, but much larger. 

Knight. — This is a popular variety in certain portions of Vir- 
ginia, but is not very widely known. 

Livingston's Market. — Said to be able to withstand drought and 
other discouragements better than most other varieties; 
flesh green, of good quality. 

I^ong Island Beauty. — '^his is of the Hackensack type— a very 
handsome early melon of the finest quality. It is popular 
in the eastern markets. 

McCotter's Pride. — A late variety, which has been bred for 
large size, but it has a fine-grained flesh and high quality. 
Nearly round ; only moderately ribbed ; dark green color ; 
orange flesh, which is very thick, sweet, and of fine flavor. 

Mammoth Prolific. — A large-fruited variety, weighing from 
12 to 15 pounds ; deeply ribbed and covered with a coarse 
netting; flesh green and thick, with a fine flavor; ripens 
late, but the vine is quite hardy. 

Mango Melon. — Sometimes called vegetable peach. About the 
size and color of an orange, with a white flesh. Used for 
making sweet pickles and preserves. Belongs with Garden 
Lemon. 

Matchless. — Fruit of the Netted Gem type, but of larger size 
than that variety; averaging about 5 by 6 inches in diam- 
eter. The flesh is very thick, light green in color and of 
good quality. It is a good shipper. 

Melrose. — This is a very popular variety with some growers. 
It is nearly round, dark-green skin, changing to a russet 
color as it approaches maturity. There are no ribs, but it 
is thickly netted. The fruits run about 6 inches in diam- 
eter, with a thin but tough skin, making it a very good 



LIST OF VARIETIES 95 

shipper. The flesh is light green, shading to a rich salmon 
color at the seed cavity. The flavor is excellent. 

Milwaukee Market. — Fruit light green, nearly round, slightly 
ribbed; flesh salmon color, of good quality; especially 
adapted to the home garden. 

Montreal Market. — A well-known variety, with flattened fruits, 
which are heavily ribbed. The flesh is green and of good 
quality. This is one of the old stand-bys in certain sec- 
tions of the country, especially in Canada near Montreal. 
It finds a ready sale in the Boston market. 

Netted Gem.— A very popular variety in the middle West, 
where it is largely grown for shipping in crates and 
baskets; fruit round or slightly oval, rather small; green 
flesh of high quality. There are various strains of this 
variety, generally known by the shape. 

Netted Rock. — A new variety about the size of the Rocky Ford, 
but more heavily netted ; seed cavity small ; the green 
flesh thick and very sweet. It is claimed by the originator 
to be practically rust-proof and well adapted for both 
market and home use. 

New Dandy. — This was introduced to the trade in 1909, and is 
described as being of a roundish shape, dark green, nicely 
netted, quite early, and very prolific. Size medium to 
large, with a fine quality. 

Nutmeg. — This name is very loosely used, it being applied to 
almost any of the smaller varieties. This, however, is a 
very early green-fleshed variety, of excellent quality, and 
was named from its shape. 

Ohio Sugar. — This is a green-fleshed Tip Top, said to be the 
sweetest and most luscious green-fleshed variety now on 
the market. Shape round, slightly inclined to oval ; heavily 
ribbed and netted; skin grayish green; very prolific and 
solid enough for a good shipper. 

Osage or Miller's Cream. — The fruit is similar in shape to the 
Emerald Gem, but larger; dark green with light bands 
between the ribs; flesh thick, orange color, and of good 
quality. One of those varieties which are widely known 
among melon growers. 

Paul Rose. — This variety gets its name from the originator, 
who is one of the largest melon growers in the middle 
West. It belongs to the Rocky Ford type, oval in shape, 
orange flesh, which is very sweet. A very handsome and 
popular variety where known. 

Prolific Nutmeg. — A large-fruited variety, which is slightly 
flattened at the ends. Its quality is only medium. 

Rocky Ford. — This is a very popular variety in the West and 



96 MELON CULTURE 

South, as it is of convenient size to ship well, and is early 
in maturing. Many of the large growers look to Rocky 
Ford, Colorado, for their seed each season, and in this 
way are able to keep up the standard of excellence which 
is found in this variety, for it is a well-known fact that 
different soils and climate, together with the different 
methods of cultivation, will often affect, not only the qual- 
ity, but the general type of melon produced. The Rocky 
Ford is an improved type of the Netted Gem, and when 
well grown is very sweet and fine flavored, scarcely ex- 
celled by any variety grown in its territory. 

Rose Gem. — Said to be an improvement on the Netted Gem. 

Skillman's Netted. — Fruits are oval in shape; ripens early; 
green flesh; sweet, with a rich perfume. 

Spicy.- — This is one of the larger new sorts, sometimes meas- 
uring 9 or 10 inches in length and two-thirds as wide. 
The fruit is very solid, with a small seed cavity ; flesh very 
thick and of a rich salmon color, with a fine flavor. The 
surface is smooth, except a slight netting, becoming a gray- 
ish yellow as it approaches maturity. 

Strawberry — A verj^ nice, red-fleshed variety, with a sweet 
strawberry flavor, weighing from six to eight pounds. 

Surprise. — Fruits oblong in shape, with a rich orange flesh of 
good quality. Ripens early. 

Sweet Air. — A comparatively new variety, grown to some ex- 
tent in Virginia. 

Syracuse. — This is one of the larger melons, with good qualitj'. 
The surface is grayish green, with a light-green flesh. Also 
somewhat local in character. 

Texas Cannonhall. — So named because of its -round shape. It 
is handsomely netted, with a green flesh, and is said to be 
very prolific under good cultivation. 

The Grand. — This is a popular variety in the middle West, 
where it is grown quite extensively. It is too large for 
packing in baskets or crates, and so is usually shipped in 
bulk like watermelons. The fruit is nearly round, some- 
what flattened at the ends, strongly ribbed, and slightly 
netted. Flesh yellow, sweet and juicy, of high quality. 

White Japan. — An early variety, with a white skin and light- 
green flesh ; belongs in the novelty class. 

English Frame Varieties 

Grown in frames or hothouses, both in Europe and America. 
Blenheim Orange Lord Beaconsfield 

Eclipse Red-fleshed Prescott 

Royal Favorite 



LIST OF VARIETIES 97 

French Varieties 

Also grown in frames, but will grow out-of-doors in this 
country under favorable conditions : 

Delight of the Table Tours Sugar 

Noir des Carmes Trevoux 

Some Good Forcing Varieties Grown in This Country 

A I Superb. — Scarlet flesh. 

Best of All. — Green flesh. 

Diamond Jubilee. — Green flesh. 

Frogmore Scarlet. — A handsome scarlet-fleshed variety; fruit 

oval, closely netted, and of excellent flavor. 
Hero of Lockinge. — Fruit with white lacing on a yellow 

ground ; flesh white ; fine flavor. 
Invincible Scarlet. — Scarlet flesh of good flavor. 
Ne Plus Ultra. — Fruit globe-shaped, flesh white, very thick, and 

of fine flavor. 
Royal Sovereign. — White flesh of excellent flavor. 
Turner's Seedling. — A high quality melon, originating in New 

Jersey. 

WATERMELONS 

Alabama Sweet. — This is grown quite largely in the South for 
northern markets, as it ships well, having a firm rind, dark- 
green striped. Flesh bright red, with white seeds. 

Angel Kiss. — A very popular variety in the South and West 
for home use. It is quite early and of fine quality. Ripens 
about with the Halbert Honey. Size medium, thin rind, 
nearly white ; crimson flesh, with small white seeds. 

Arkansaw Traveler. — Is much like the Florida Favorite, and 
is grown more in the South than in the North. 

Augusta Round. — This is a midseason variety; round, with a 
bright-red flesh, very sweet, with white seeds. 

Black Bowlder. — Large, dark, green skin; nearly round. 

Black Diamond. — Large, round, dark green, with a tough skin, 
making it a good shipper. A popular variety wherever 
grown. 

Black Spanish. — Roundish in form, with a very dark skin and 
deep-red flesh ; ripens early. 

Boss. — Oblong in shape; dark green in color; flesh deep 
scarlet; ripens midseason. 

Bradford. — This is a long melon of dark color with a sweet, 
tender flesh. 

Citron (green-seeded and red-seeded). — Used for preserving. 



98 MELON CULTURE 

Coc's Early. — A small, early variety, with a green skin with 
white stripes. 

Colorado Preserving. — This is a large-fruited citron, used only 
for preserving. 

Cuban Queen. — This is a native of the West Indies, and was 
introduced into this country in 1881. It has become very 
popular in many sections of the country. It is a large, 
oblong melon with well-marked light and dark-green 
stripes. 

Dark Icing. — The fruit is roundish oval in form, skin dark 
green ; deep pink flesh of excellent quality. Very popu- 
lar in the East as a market variety where quality is the 
principal consideration. 

Dixie. — This is noted in the South for its market qualities 
owing to its large size under good cultural conditions. The 
color is dark green, with lighter stripes ; flesh bright red 
and the quality excellent. 

Duke Jones. — A dark-green variety of good size and fine 
flavor. 

Earliest and Sweetest. — K new variety said to be the earliest 
and sweetest watermelon known. Size medium, averaging 
10 to fifteen pounds, about twice as long as broad, dark 
ground with lighter markings ; flesh scarlet, seeds white 
or light cream. A cross between Mountain Sweet and 
Cole's Early. 

Florida Favorite. — This is highly prized in the South as a 
market melon, many carloads of them being sent North. 
It is also highly prized in the home market. Many of the 
larger Northern growers also look upon it as one of their 
most reliable varieties. The fruit is large, oblong in 
shape, with a dark green rind, with still darker stripes. 
It presents a beautiful appearance in the field, as well as 
upon the market stands. 

Fordlwok Early. — This is one of the earliest of the large- 
fruited melons and is becoming quite generally grown, as 
it ripens several days earlier than any of those commonly 
grown. The fruit is rather short and blocky, dark green 
in color, faintly striped with lighter green. The quality is 
excellent. 

Gray Monarch (Long White Icing). — A large, long, light- 
colored melon, somewhat mottled ; deep red flesh of fine 
flavor. It often weighs from 50 to 60 pounds under good 
treatment. 

Halhert Honey. — This variety is intended for the home garden 
and nearby markets, as it will not stand shipping as well 



LIST OF VARIETIES 99 

as. some of the other varieties. It is especially noted for 
its thin rind, fine flavor, and productiveness. 

Harris's Earliest. — A small, very early melon of only fair 
quality, but brings good returns on account of its earliness. 

Hungarian Honey. — A small, round variety, with deep-red 
flesh noted for its fine quality. Too small for the larger 
markets. 

Iceberg (Blue Gem). — A large, oval melon, with a rich dark 
green color, striped with a lighter green. Very highly 
prized in certain localities. 

Ice Cream (Peerless). — Oblong in shape, dark green in color; 
flesh a bright pink, with a very sweet delicious flavor. Es- 
pecially desirable for the home market. 

Iced Honey. — A new early variety, rather small but fine for 
home use. Fruit nearly round and of dark green color; 
flesh dark red, with a rich honey flavor. 

Kleckley Sweets (Monte Crista). — ^A well-known variety that 
is prized for its delicious flavor. Especially desirable for 
home use and the nearby market, where quality is pre- 
ferred to size. The fruits are oblong in shape and dark 
green in color. 

Kolb Gem. — This variety is probably as well known both north 
and south as any other variety grown, as it is one of the 
best shipping melons. Oval in shape, with skin mottled 
with light and dark green ; the quality is not equal to that 
of some of the other varieties. 

Light Icing. — This differs from the Dark Icing mainly in hav- 
ing a light-colored skin. The shape and quality are nearly 
the same. 

Mclver Sugar. — This is one of the good, large melons of oval 
shape, a foot and a half in length ; skin dark green, with 
lighter stripes; flesh a light pink, crisp, and juicy. 

Mammoth Ironclad. — This is noted for its very large size, being 
long in shape, a very late and good shipper. 

Mountain Sweet. — A red-fleshed late variety, noted mainly for 
its sweetness. Very popular in the South. 

New Chilian. — This is a very attractive melon, but better 
adapted to a southern climate than to the North. The 
fruit is large, round, dark green, with darker stripes. 
Quality good when well grown. 

Panmure Allheart. — A favorite variety in some parts of the 
South. It has a thin rind, few seeds, and a very thick, 
sweet flesh. An excellent melon for the home garden. 

Phinney's Early. — Oblong shape of medium size, but early and 
of good quality. 



100 MELON CULTURE 

Pride of Georgia. — A popular variety in the South. Fruit 
nearly round, of large size and good quality. Ripens in 
midseason. 

Primus Jones. — A large, quite late melon, dark green, with 
light stripes, oblong in shape; flesh red and very sweet; 
highly prized in the South. 

Rattlesnake (Georgia Rattlesnake; Striped Gypsy). — This is 
doubtless the most popular variety grown in the southern 
states, and it is also grown quite extensively in the more 
northern Mississippi valley. The fruit is oblong, of good 
size, handsomely striped, a good shipper, and of fine 
quality. 

Santiago. — Sometimes called Mammoth Santiago on account 
of its large size. It is oval in shape, skin light green with 
darker stripes, somewhat mottled. The flesh is deep red, 
of fine quality. The rind is firm enough to make it a good 
shipper. 

Seminole. — This is a very large melon, ripening in midseason, 
and of good quality. 

Shaker Blue. — Sometimes called the White Seeded Triumph. 
It is a very large melon, roundish oval in form, weighing 
all the way from 40 to 75 pounds as grown in portions of 
the Mississippi valley. The color is dark green, with 
lighter stripes, but these are not very apparent when the 
melon is ripe. It is a good shipper and the quality is fine. 

Snowbound. — A medium-sized melon suitable for either the 
home garden or for shipping, as it has a tough rind. Skin 
is gray, flesh, light pink, very tender and sweet. 

Sugar Stick. — -A large light-green variety, of oblong form, and 
when well grown it combi..es fine flavor with good shipping 
quahties. 

Sweetheart. — A very popular variety in the middle West, as it 
combines size and fine quality with a firmness of rind 
which makes it a good shipper. It has a pale-green skin, 
with slight markings ; a deep-red flesh, which is very crisp 
and sweet. Where the seed is kept pure the size is usually 
very uniform, running from 40 to 50 pounds. 

Sweet Nabob. — An early variety, round in form, striped with 
light and dark green ; of good quality. 

Tom Watson. — This is coming to be quite well and favorably 
known in the middle West. In form it is long, oval, often 
measuring 2 feet long and 1 foot in diameter, and weigh- 
ing from 50 to 60 pounds. The rind is very thin, but 
tough enough to make it a good shipper. The quality is 
very fine when grown on the melon soil of southern 
Indiana. 



LIST OF VxVRIETIES lOI 

Triumph. — This is a well-known, large, rather short and thick 
variety, of good quality, and a splendid shipper. 

Tiirpen's Gray. — A fine, late variety much planted in the South. 
It grows very large and long, and is a long keeper. Skin 
mottled green ; rind very thin ; flesh red and sweet, with 
yellowish seeds. 

Vick's Early. — A very early, long, smooth melon; bright pink 
flesh of fine flavor. 



/ 



INDEX 



A 



Page 



Aee' of melon seeds affecting vital- 
ity 19 

Air-slacked lime for striped beetle 70 

Alternaria sp. on muskmelons .... 83 

Anthracnose of melons 89 

Aphis Gossypii or melon louse .... 72 

Aphis in the forcing house 66 

Arthur, J. C, quotations from. ... 25 

B 

Bacillus melonis 81 

Bacillus tracheiphilus 79 

Bacterial soft rot of muskmelons . . 81 

Bacterial wilt 79 

Bees : their influence on the crop . . 6 

Blinn, P. K., quotations from. ... 24 

Bordeaux mixture 82, 85 

Botanical vaiieties: 

Cantaloupensis 4 

Reticulatus 5 

Flexuosus 5 

Chito 5 

Inodorous 5 

Botany of the melon 2 



Cantaloupes 4 

Characters of the flowers 2 

Citrullus vulgaris 6 

Cladosporium cucumerinum 89 

Clean farming a prevention against 

insects 78 

Climax baskets for muskmelons ... 53 

Clover as a fertilizer 30 

Colletotrichum lagenarium 89 

Commercial fertilizers 33 

Conditions affecting growth: 

Climatic 9 

Soil 9 

Temperature of the soil 9 

Cottonseed meal as a fertilizer for 

melons 33 

Cucurbitaceae family 2 

Cultivation of the plants 45 

Cultural methods 41 



Page 

Diseases of melons 79 

Dome screens for insects 70 

Downy mildew on melons 89 

Drainage: its effect on the soil. . . 10 

E 

Early planting as a protection 

against insects 71 

Early vs. late ripening for seed .... 26 

Effect of latitude and altitude on 

early maturity 28 

Extent of the melon business 59 

F 

Fertilization of the blossoms 6 

Fertilizers for melons: 

Kind and quantity 30 

A balanced ration 31 

Time for applying 34 

Forcing melons 61 

Function of root hairs 12 

Fusarium wilt 85 

G 

Germination of seeds, per cent of 20 

Goff, Prof. E. S., quotations from 

11, 18, 25 

Gophers and field mice injurious 

to melon crops 78 

Grading melons an important fac- 
tor in maintaining one's repu 

tation 55 

Grasshoppers injurious to water- 
melons 78 

H 

Habitat of the muskmelon and 

watermelon 1 

Harvesting and marketing melons 46 

History of the melon 1 

Hotbeds, construction of 37 

Hothouse: its advantages over the 

hotbed 40 

How to test the seed 20 

Humidity affecting seed vitality . . 19 



Depth of planting in the North and 

South 35 

Dlabrotica 12-punctata 72 

Diabrotica vittata 68 

Disease-resistant strains 87 



Immature seed: its effect upon 
earliness 

Importance of careful selection of 
seed melons : how it is usually 
done 



103 



104 



INDEX 



Insects and diseases 68 

Insects in the forcing house 65 

Introduction of melons into the 

United States 2 

K 

Keep the melons as cool as possible 

after picking 51 

L 

Land plaster for the striped beetle 70 

Lead arsenate far melon insects. . 70 

List of varieties of melons 92 

London purple for the striped 

beetle 70 

M 

Mango melon — see variety Chito. . 5 

Marketing melons 57-60 

Marking the crates 55 

Mealy bugs in the forcing house. . 66 

Melon caterpillar 77 

Melon louse 72 

Melons as warm weather plants. . . 9 

Melon scab 89 

Melon seed, conditions affecting 

duration of 19 

Mice and ground squirrels 78 

Moisture affecting seed vitality. . . 19 

Muskmelons 3, 92 

N 

Navy beans for anchors 44 

Neocosmospora vasinfecta ,. . 85 

Number of plants required to plant 

an acre 42 

Number of watermelons to load a 

car 60 

Nutmeg melons 4 

O 

Oxygen necessary to plant growth 11 
Oxygen: the effect of its absence 

noted 11 

P 

Packing as it is usually done 52 

Packing in crates and barrels 53 

Paris green for the striped beetle . . 70 

Pickle worm 76 

Plant boxes 37 

Planting the seeds for forcing 63 

Planting the seeds out-of-doors. . . 35 

Plant plenty of seeds 36 

Plants required for an acre 42 

Plasmopara cubensis 89 

Poisoned seeds for field mice and 

gophers 78 

Pollination of flowers: how it is 

done 6 

Pony crates for muskmelons . . . . 53 



Page 

Preparation of the soil for melons. 14 

Protoplasm : the life of the plant . . 11 

Q 

Quality an important factor in 
melons; affected by time of 

picking 48 

R 

Red spider in the forcing house ... 65 
Refrigerator cars for shipping 

muskmelons 48 

Remedies for field mice 78 

Remedies for gophers and ground 

squirrels 78 

Remedies for grasshoppers 78 

Remedies for striped melon beetle 70 

Remedies for the melon louse. ... 73 

Remedies for the pickle worm. ... 77 

Remedies for the squash bug 75 

Remedies for the squash lady-bird 76 
Remedies for 12-spotted melon 

beetle 72 

Remedy for the melon caterpillar. 77 

Road dust for the striped beetle. . 70 

Root hairs: their function 12 

Rotation of crops a prevention 

against insects 79 

Rust or blight of melons 83 

Rust-resistant strains of melons. . 87 

S 

Sandy soil for melons 14 

Scab on melons 89 

Screen for covering young plants 71 

Seed germination, per cent of . . . . 20 

Seed started in the hotbed 37 

Seed tester 21 

Seed vitality, conditions affecting 

it 18 

Seeds from immature fruits 25 

Selecting the seed melons from un- 
productive plants vs. produc- 
tive plants 22 

Slacked lime for melon insects. ... 70 

Smith, Dr. E. P., on bacterial wilt 79 
Snake melon — see variety Flexu- 

osus 5 

Soaking seed in arsenic for mice 

and gophers 78 

Sods for starting melon seeds in the 

hotbed 39 

Soils for melons 14 

Soy beans as a fertilizer 30 

Sprays for the melon louse 74 

Squash bug 74 

Squash lady-bird 75 

Stable manure: how used 34 

Starting the plants in hotbeds. ... 37 

Starting the plants in hothouses. . 40 
Stimulating the plants to quick 
and early growth as a means 

of preventing insect attacks. . 72 

Style of package 53 



1ND12X 



I05 



Page 
T 

Temperature aflEecting seed vitality 1 8 

Temperature for forcing melons. . 62 

Testing the seed 20 

The forcing house 62 

The function of root hairs 12 

The melon aphis 7 2 

The melon caterpillar 77 

The pickle worm 76 

Theseed 18 

The soil 63 

1 he soil for forcing melons 63 

The soil: Nature's chemical labo- 
ratory 12 

The squash bug 74 

The squash lady-bird 75 

The striped beetle 68 

Ihe 12-spotted melon beetle 72 

Tile drainage: how it acts upon the 

soil 10 

Trainmg the plants in the forcing 

house 64 



Page 

Transplanting: distance apart for 

each kind 41 

Trap crops as a protection against 

insects 71, 75 

V 

Varieties for forcing 65 

Varieties for outdoor culture 92 

Vitality of seeds affected by various 

causes 18 

W 

Watering the hotbeds 39 

Watermelons 6 

Wheat bran and paris green for 

grasshoppers 78 

White fly in the forcing house. ... 66 
Winter melons — see variety In- 
odorous ,. 5 

Y 

Yields per acre 59 



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First Principles o£ Soil Fertility 

By Alfred Vivian. There is no subject of more vital 
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By Thomas Shaw. How to cultivate, harvest and use 
them. Indian corn, sorghum, clover, leguminous plants, crops 
of the brassica genus, the cereals, millet, field roots, etc. 
Intensely practical and reliable. Illustrated. 287 pages. 5x7 
inches. Cloth $1.00 

Soiling Crops and the Silo 

By Thomas Shaw. The growing and feeding of all kinds 
of soiling crops, conditions to which they are adapted, their 
plan in the rotation, etc. Not a line is repeated from the 
Forage Crops book. Best methods of building the silo, filling 
it and feeding ensilage. Illustrated. 364 pages. 5x7 inches. 
Cloth $1.50 

The Study of Breeds 

By Thomas Shaw. Origin, history, distribution, charac- 
teristics, adaptability, uses, and standards of excellence of all 
pedigreed breeds of cattle, sheep and swine in America. The 
accepted text book in colleges, and the authority for 
farmers and breeders. Illustrated. 371 pages. 5x7 inches. 
Cloth $1.50 

Clovers and How to Grow Them 

By Thomas Shaw. This is the first book published which 
treats on the growth, cultivation and treatment of clovers as 
applicable to all parts of the United States and Canada, and 
which takes up the entire subject in a systematic way and 
consecutive sequence. The importance of clover in the econ- 
omy of the farm is so great that an exhaustive work on this 
subject will no doubt be welcomed by students in agriculture, 
as well as by all who are interested in the tilling of the soil. 
Illustrated. 5 x 7 inches. 337 pages. Cloth. Net . . $1.00 

(13) 



Greenhouse Construction 

By Prof. L. R. Taft. A complete treatise on greenhouse 
structures and arrangements of the various forms and styles 
of plant houses for professional florists as well as amateurs. 
All the best and most approved structures are so fully and 
clearly described that any one who desires to build a green- 
house will have no difficulty in determining the kind best 
suited to his purpose. The modern and most successful meth- 
ods of heating and ventilating are fully treated upon. Special 
chapters are devoted to houses used for the growing of one 
kind of plants exclusively. The construction of hotbeds and 
frames receives appropriate attention. Over loo excellent 
illustrations, especially engraved for this work, make every 
point clear to the reader and add considerably to the artistic 
appearance of the book. 210 pages. 5x 7 inches. Cloth. $1.50 

Greenhouse Management 

By L. R. Taft. This book forms an almost indispensable 
companion volume to Greenhouse Construction. In it the 
author gives the results of his many years' experience, to- 
gether with that of the most successful florists and gardeners, 
in the management of growing plants under glass. So minute 
and practical are the various systems and methods of growing 
and forcing roses, violets, carnations, and all the most impor- 
tant florists' plants, as well as fruits and vegetables described, 
that by a careful study of this work and the following of its 
teachings, failure is almost impossible. Illustrated. 382 pages. 
5x7 inches. Cloth $1.50 

Fungi and Fungicides 

By Prof. Clarence M. Weed. A practical manual con- 
cerning the fungous diseases of cultivated plants and the 
means of preventing their ravages. The author has endeav- 
ored to give such a concise account of the most important 
facts relating to these as will enable the cultivator to combat 
them intelligently. "90 illustrations. 222 pages. 5x7 inches. 
Paper, 50 cents; cloth $1.00 

Mushrooms. How to Grow Them 

By William Falconer. This is the most practical work 
on the subject ever written, and the only book on growing 
mushrooms published in America. The author describes how 
he grows mushrooms, and how they are grown for profit by 
the leading market gardeners, and for home use by the most 
successful private growers. Engravings drawn from nature 
expressly for this work. 170 pages. 5x7 inches. Cloth. $1.00 

(16) 



The New Egg Farm 

By H. H. Stoddard. A practical, reliable manual on 
producing eggs and poultry for market as a profitable business 
enterprise, either by itself or connected with other branches 
of agriculture. It tells all about how to feed and manage, 
how to breed and select, incubators and brooders, its labor- 
saving devices, etc., etc. Illustrated. 331 pages. 5x7 inches. 
Cloth $1.00 

Poultry Feeding and Fattening 

Compiled by G. B. Fiske. A handbook for poultry keep- 
ers on the standard and improved methods of feeding and 
marketing all kinds of poultry. The subject of feeding and 
fattening poultry is prepared largely from the side of the 
best practice and experience here and abroad, although the 
underlying science of feeding is explained as fully as needful. 
The subject covers all branches, including chickens, broilers, 
capons, turkeys and waterfowl ; how to feed under various 
conditions and for different purposes. The whole subject of 
capons and caponizing is treated in detail. A great mass of 
practical information and experience not readily obtainable 
elsewhere is given with full and explicit directions for fatten- 
ing and preparing for market. This book will meet the needs 
of amateurs as well as commercial poultry raisers. Profusely 
illustrated. 160 pages. 5 x 7J^ inches. Cloth. . . . $0.50 

Poultry Architecture 

Compiled by G. B. Fiske. A treatise on poultry buildings 
of all grades, styles and classes, and their proper location, 
coops, additions and special construction ; all practical in de- 
sign, and reasonable in cost. Over 100 illustrations. 125 pages. 
5x7 inches. Cloth $0.50 

Poultry Appliances and Handicraft 

Compiled by G. B. Fiske. Illustrated description of a 
great variety and styles of the best homemade nests, roosts, 
windows, ventilators, incubators and brooders, feeding and 
watering appliances, etc., etc. Over 100 illustrations. Over 
125 pages. 5x7 inches. Cloth $0.50 

Turkeys and How to Grow Them 

Edited by Herbert Myrick. A treatise on the natural 
history and origin of the name of turkeys ; the various breeds, 
the best methods to insure success in the business of turkey 
growing. With essays from practical turkey growers in 
different parts of the United States and Canada Copiously 

illustrated. 154 pages. 5 x 7 inches. Cloth $1.00 

(18) 



JUL 26 i^li 



One copy del. to Cat. Div. 



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